The first two rounds of the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in Boulder City, Nevada, came down to putting.
Idaho women’s golf coach Lisa Johnson said the course was very similar during both rounds and the deciding factor was whether or not a putt went in the hole.
“We made more putts from round one to round two,” Johnson said. “However, we’re still not playing nearly as well as we need to. It’s a matter of making putts early and building our confidence.”
After the first two rounds, Idaho sits in 17th place with a 1-under-par 575. But Johnson isn’t too concerned with their position.
“If a team gets hot with their putter on this course, they could have a great round,” Johnson said. “This golf course is very (scoreable) and it is a very strong field. Our scores that we’re shooting don’t reflect how well the team is playing.”
Idaho freshmen Michelle Kim and Sophie Hausmann led the Vandals, both finishing tied for 44th with a 1-under-par 143.
Idaho set its goals high going into the final round Tuesday.
“The greens are slower than other courses we’ve seen this season and the girls are leaving the putts short,” Johnson said. “We need to enter the round with an aggressive mindset.”
Idaho is looking to break a school record in Boulder City, Nevada, this week.
“We would like to shoot the school record, 11-under-par for 18 holes,” Johnson said.
As the Vandals continue to take on the same course they will be competing on for the Big Sky Conference Championship, they hope to build their confidence.
“Overall the most important goal is to get a feel for the conference championship course in the spring,” Johnson said. “We feel very good about our team’s confidence with this course and we have demonstrated that we are able to shoot under par on this course.”
Idaho is the only team from the Big Sky that was invited to the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, and Johnson said that it gave the team a good opportunity to experience the course before any other team.
“We know that if we are able to shoot even or under par, we have a good chance to win the championship,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she is confident in the team’s ability to shoot well in the final round.
Mihaela Karst can be reached at [email protected]