Idaho junior golfer Sophie Hausmann was named Big Sky Golfer of the Year ahead of the weekend’s Big Sky Tournament at Boulder Creek Golf Course in Nevada. Junior Michelle Kim and freshman Valeria Patino were also recognized with third and second-team honors, respectively.
Friday through Sunday, in the most crucial situation of the season thus far, they shored up expectations set by the honors they earned.
Hausmann — Idaho’s first ever women’s golf Big Sky Golfer of the Year — finished the conference tournament first overall for the second time in her career, Kim nabbed runner-up honors with three under-par scores and Patino ended in the top 15 to vault Idaho to its second Big Sky Championship in three years.
“It feels amazing,” Idaho Head Coach Lisa Johnson said in a news release. “It’s great to be able to represent the Vandals this well and perform under pressure.”
The Vandals led the field through all three rounds, carding a 2-over 866 aggregate to outrun Sacramento State by 10 strokes and set a new tournament record for lowest championship tournament by a team. Idaho supplemented its top-spot position with a combined 8-under third-round back nine. Its 5-under 283 final-round total matched the Big Sky Championship record for the lowest single-round score.
After a 1-over first round, Hausmann caught heat with a 7-under 65 in the second, which tied her own tournament record for a single-round finish. Her second-round total also matched the second-lowest round throughout the entire NCAA 2017-2018 season, according to GolfStat.
Hausmann, a self-titled “long hitter,” strung together three consecutive birdies early in the second round. A couple of pars later, she knocked in another. On the back nine, she carded two-straight eagles on the 13th and 14th holes — the second of which is a par 4.
“When I saw back-to-back eagles show up on the live scoring I didn’t think it was real,” Johnson said. “Sophie hits the ball so far that this course is really short for her.”
Hausmann’s back nine in the last round proved just as noteworthy. After a 1-over front-nine finish, it all began to click.
She stayed safe with two pars, then fired home two birdies. Following another pair of pars, Hausmann managed her third eagle in two rounds on the 540-yard par-5 16th hole.
“I was pretty relaxed all four days, including the practice round,” Hausmann said. “I felt really good about the whole team and our approach, so I didn’t put or feel any extra pressure on myself or get real nervous.”
Hausmann said she knew she needed to notch a few more birdies to win. She said she had no clue who was nipping at her heels.
It was Kim, her teammate, who finished only four strokes behind Hausmann. The closest non-Vandal to Hausmann was Sacramento State’s Julia Becker, who was seven strokes shy of medalist honors.
Kim was the only competitor to avoid an over-par round throughout all three. She carded consecutive 1-under 71s, and followed with one better — a 4-under 68, a draw with Hausmann’s third-round score and the second-best tally overall in the tournament.
Kim is the first golfer in the history of the Big Sky Tournament to shoot under-par in all three rounds. Her 54-hole total also is the third-best three-round total in the tournament’s history.
“I couldn’t be more impressed with Michelle,” Johnson said. “This semester she didn’t perform as well as she’s capable of, but she didn’t let that define her season … She has won some big events in her career and to see that Michelle come back this week was incredible.”
Her birdie-to-bogey ratio was 12 to five. She avoided any over-par marks, and according to Johnson, played dauntless golf and had an exemplary tournament on the green.
Patino, Idaho’s one freshman in the group of five, was the third head in the three-pronged attack. She finished at a tie for 12th with an even final round, made possible by a 2-under back nine featuring a birdie on the 18th.
With the win, the Vandals earn their sixth all-time bid to the NCAA Regionals. The full field will be announced Wednesday. From May 7-9, Idaho will play at one of four sites for a chance at an appearance in the NCAA Nationals.
“I told the team that I love regionals, but I love nationals more,” Johnson said. “We might as well go for it. If we play like we did this week, we can pull it off.”
Colton Clark can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @coltonclark95