The late summer months of 2018 proved historic for Idaho athletics, as two female Vandal athletes made Silver and Gold history.
The Idaho’s Marianna Petrei became the first Vandal female tennis athlete to receive a chance to play in the NCAA Singles’ Championship, succesfully reaching the Round of 32.
Meanwhile, Idaho’s Sophie Hausmann also shattered glass ceilings, becoming the first Idaho female athlete to compete in the U.S. Women’s Open.
Hausmann took off for Shoal Creek, Alaska, to compete with more than 150 female golfers and 28 fellow amateurs. While Hausman missed the cut on the final leaderboard, she did wrap up her final day of play with two birdies, three pars and three bogeys, finishing 10-over par.
“It has been an amazing week,” Hausmann said in a news release. “I got to meet some great people. I had some Idaho fans here to cheer and support me and I was able to get a feel for what professional golf feels and looks like.”
Hausmann finished the first round with a birdie on a 399-yard par 4 on the 10th hole. She followed up the impressive start with three pars, bringing her score to 1-under and a spot at the top of the leaderboard.
“I started out very well,” Hausmann said. “I was quite a bit nervous on the No. 1 tee, but I just played my game.”
Hausmann struggled to maintain her top spot during the following holes, shooting a handful of bogeys, with two birdies to help her stay afloat in the rankings.
Going into the second round, Hausmann ran into some trouble, with the large part of the day being delayed. Lightning strikes in the area created a break in her play that lasted several hours. After a 10:31a.m. tee off, Hausmann resumed play shortly after 4p.m. She accumulated three bogeys, five pars and a birdie before the sun eventually set, putting an end to the long day, which also happened to be Hausmann’s 21st birthday.
Immense pressure befell Hausmann entering her third day of the tournament. The conclusion of the second round would result in cuts to all but the top 60 players in the tournament.
She finished the round just under that mark, with her score even after three birdies and a pair of bogeys in the final holes.
Idaho’s head coach and Hausmann’s caddie Lisa Johnson said seeing her growth throughout the tournament was quite the spectacle.
“Sophie learned that she absolutely can compete at the professional level this week,” Johnson said in a news release. “This has been a tremendous experience for her and will undoubtedly prepare her for the next stage in her golf career. We were extremely proud of her tenacity this week on the grandest stage. It was an honor to caddie for her.”
Ariya Jutanugarn took home the title, shooting 11-under par. Jutanugarn became just the sixth player to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Tournament and the U.S. Women’s Open.
Hausmann said she was glad for the opportunity to play with some of the best golfers in the world, and said she learned valuable lessons she can take into her final season at Idaho, as well as a chance to shine in the spotlight.
“Giving autographs and having microphones and cameras on the course isn’t an everyday thing for me,” Hausmann said.
Hausmann will be just one of two current juniors returning to the team, along with Michelle Kim. The pair will look to lead their team to another Big Sky Championship.
“I learned a lot this week even if it was not the score I was looking for,” Hausmann said. “I realized what I’m pretty good at, but also saw where I lose strokes against a talented field like this.”
The Vandals’ women’s golf team will return to action fall 2018.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill