LAKEWOOD RANCH, FLA. – Kyndall Newman finished fourth and four Vandals finished in the top-11 on the leaderboard as Idaho finished second at the Falcon Florida Classic just inland from Sarasota.
Newman put together three strong rounds, going 68, 73, 71 (-4, 212) to earn the fourth-places finish. It was the lowest tournament score of her career and her second-best finish.
"I'm Incredibly proud of Kyndall's execution," head coach Stephanie Young said. "It is rewarding to see her maturity in the later rounds and to see her hard work pay off. She drove the ball very well and made puts when she needed to make them. Her birdie production was outstanding all weekend."
Newman finished with 13 birdies in the tournament, including six in the opening round to help her to her Four-under 68.
Vicky Tsai also finished under par for the tournament going 70, 72, 72 (-2, 214). The senior racked up 11 birdies during the 54 holes.
"Vicky has been our rock," Young added. "Her leadership has helped this team continue to improve and there is no way we take home second today without her."
Baipor Khunsri and
Yvonne Vinceri finished tied for 11th with a score of 217 (+1).
Jenna Bruggeman finished T32nd with a three-round score of 225 (+9) and
Boram Jung, golfing as an independent, finished 15-over (231).
The team score 860 is the best team score of the year by 21 strokes and the second-place finish is the highest in a tournament finish since earning runner-up honors at the 2019 Big Sky Championship.
"It was a way great start to the spring," Young said. "The players hard work and dedication to trusting the process is really showing. It is neat to see their work ethic through the winter pay off and to see them coming together as a team as the season goes on. They are getting closer and playing for each other."
The tournament was the first of the spring that sees Idaho back inaction on Feb. 27-28 at the Grand Canyon Invite in Phoenix. Idaho plays in four more tournaments before teeing off at the Big Sky Championship on April 17-19 at Talking Stick on Scottsdale, Arizona.
