RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Idaho women's golf kicked off its spring season Monday, at the Mission Hills Invitational. Freshman Vicky Tsai captured her first career win, tying for first with a 1-under 71 on the Arnold Palmer Course at Mission Hills Golf Club. The event was a one-round, individual-only tournament with no team scores kept.
 
Tsai fired four birdies in her last eight holes, coming home with a 32 on the back nine to vault up the leaderboard. Junior Laura Gerner tied for sixth with a 3-over 75, one stroke off her career best.
 
"It was an impressive tournament for Vicky," said head coach Lisa Johnson. "She worked through a swing change in the past six months and that hard work is not showing in competition. Laura has also worked through a significant swing change and started the spring off with one of her best rounds as a Vandal."
 
The Arnold Palmer Course at Mission Hills Golf Club is home to the first stage of the LPGA Qualifying School. The course played nearly 6,500 yards Monday, just as it will for Q School in August.
 
"Overall it was a great start to the spring season," Johnson said. "I am very impressed with the progress the team made in the offseason and the scores today are a reflection of that work."
 
The season resumes Feb. 25-26, with the first team event of the spring at The Gold Rush. Sophie Hausmann is the two-time defending champion at the tournament. Idaho took fifth as a team last year.
 
Individual Results
Vicky Tsai             71 (1-under)
Laura Gerner     75 (3-over)
Michelle Kim      76 (4-over)
Danika Palm       77 (5-over)
Valeria Patino    78 (6-over)
Sophie Hausmann 80 (8-over)