Idaho women's golf returns to action Monday and Tuesday, at the Rebel Beach Invitational in Las Vegas.
THE LINEUP:Â Idaho will be represented by
Sophie Hausmann,
Valeria Patino,
Kendall Gray,
Michelle Kim and
Laura Gerner.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live scoring for the tournament will be available
HERE, through BirdieFire.
THE COURSE: The tournament will be played at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas. The course will play at par-72 and 6,355 yards. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed course has played home to the PGA Las Vegas Invitational five times.
THE FIELD: The 12-team field will play 54 holes, with the first two rounds on Monday followed by the final round Tuesday, with a shotgun start beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT, each day. The Vandals are joined by co-hosts Long Beach State and UNLV, as well as BYU, Colorado State, Kennesaw State, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Ole Miss, UC Irvine and Wyoming. Four teams rank in the top 50, according to GolfStat, led by No. 38 Ole Miss. Idaho checks in at No. 80.
IN THE RANKINGS: Junior
Sophie Hausmann cracked the top 100 of the GolfStat national individual rankings this week, coming in at No. 95. Hausmann moved up 66 spots after winning The Gold Rush. Her average score versus par of +0.27 ranks No. 52 nationally, and No. 14 in the region.
BIG SKY POW:Â Idaho junior
Sophie Hausmann was named Big Sky Women's Golfer of the Week (Feb. 14), after earning medalist honors at The Gold Rush (Feb. 12-13). Hausmann fired a 4-under 212 to win by three strokes. This marks the second Big Sky weekly honor of the season for Hausmann and the fifth of her career. Hausmann's win, the third tournament victory of her career, came after entering the final day three shots behind the leader. She quickly made up ground with birdies on her first two holes and eventually cruised to a first-place finish, defending her title at The Gold Rush. The Nottuln, Germany, native carded nine birdies and two eagles at the tournament, including six birdies in the final round to post a 68, the lowest single round of the tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: The Vandals are coming off a fifth-place finish at The Gold Rush, led by
Sophie Hausmann's individual tournament victory. Idaho shot 35-over as a team, finishing with consecutive rounds of 298 (10-over).
Valeria Patino and
Kendall Gray each tied for 22nd.
TABBED SECOND:Â The Idaho women were picked to finish second in the Big Sky Conference preseason coaches' poll. The Vandal women earned two first-place votes in the poll and checked in just behind defending-champion Sacramento State. The Hornets claimed the 2017 title in a playoff against the Vandals, keeping Idaho from back-to-back conference championships.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Vandals will return to action March 5-6. at the Meadow Club Women's Collegiate in Fairfax, Calif.
