STANFORD, Calif. – Nerves may have been a bit of a bother early on but the Idaho Vandals settled down for a solid first day at the NCAA Stanford Regional on the par-71 Stanford Golf Course.
“We had some nerves starting out and it showed in the scores,” said coach Lisa Johnson, referencing some early bogeys. “It's a big deal for them. After we settled down, we made some birdies – it was great to see us make some.”
The Vandals are tied for 13th with a 16-over 300 but they're just one strong out of the top 10. USC is the first-day leader with a three-over 287 with Virginia at 288, Stanford at 289, and Texas Tech and Michigan State tied at 291.
Idaho freshman Sophie Hausmann is tied for 16th with a one-over 72 after a round that included birdies on the par-5 first and 12th holes, and bogeys one two of the par 3s and the par-4 10th. Michelle Kim, another freshman, and senior Cassie McKinley are just three strokes back at 75 and tied for 42nd. Senior Kristin Strankman opened the tournament with a 78 and a tie for 75th and sophomore Kendall Gray is tied for 81st at 79.
The key for Hausmann, Johnson said, are her length and accuracy off the tee combined with adjusting to faster American greens.
“In the past few tournaments, she's really worked on committing to every shot,” Johnson said of the 2016 Big Sky champion. “She's really adapted to the speed of the greens. She's always been a very good ball striker. She's long and accurate off the tee. On a golf course like this, that's a huge benefit.”
Johnson said the 6,269-yard course playing at par 71 is the longest of the year for the Vandals with the fastest greens they've seen this season.
“It's a true championship golf course,” she said. “The speed of the greens was fast. There were some very challenging hole locations.”
Johnson's message to the Vandals before they teed off was to enjoy the course and the opportunity.
“Overall,” she said, “we're very pleased with how we played today. It was a great start to the tournament. The team stayed with our game plan. They're enjoying the moment.”
She said the Vandals know they have their work cut out for them if they're to advance to the national finals.
“We have to play our absolute best golf the next two rounds to advance,” Johnson said. “The most important thing for our team this week is staying relaxed and having fun. It's really easy to do on this course because it's such a great course.”
