It should be another exciting year for women’s golf, as the team shapes up ahead of its first competition of the season.
The Vandals have spent weeks preparing for the 2018-19 season, which will kick off with the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Idaho Head Coach Lisa Johnson will be going into her 12th year coaching the Vandals, and said she believes
Idaho fans have plenty to look forward to with another season of women’s golf.
“We want to make nationals and I believe we can do it this year with Sophie (Hausmann) and Michelle (Kim) leading the team,” Johnson said. “We have a strong freshman class and our middle classes have improved enough over the summer and I believe we can attain that lofty goal.”
The Vandals made it all the way to the NCAA Women’s Regional Golf Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin, last year after winning the Big Sky Tournament. Sophie Hausmann also won the individual confer- ence championship for the second year in a row, and Michelle Kim finished as the first runner-up to put the team over the top.
Hausmann, now a senior, will be aiming for her third straight individual Big Sky Conference title after winning Big Sky Women’s Golfer of the Year for the 2017-18 season and an impressive summer filled with improvement and lofty opportunities.
“Sophie (Hausmann) is an incredible player who has improved immensely since her freshman year and to appear in the women’s Open was a testament to her abilities,” Johnson said. “She also played in the World-Am as one of three players repre- senting Germany this summer. She really helps get the Vandal name out there and represents us so well.”
Senior Michelle Kim is the other half of Idaho’s elder leadership. Kim posted four top-25 finishes last year, highlighted by a 4th-place finish at the Washington State University Cougar Cup. She also earned All-Big Sky honors in each of her three years with the program, including two first team awards.
“We want to make nationals and I believe we can do it this year with Sophie (Hausmann) and Michelle (Kim) leading the team,” Johnson said. “Michelle (Kim) has shown tremendous growth and is a much more mature player this year. She and Sophie (Hausmann) room together and are great leaders for our team.”
Further down the roster, there is still plenty of talent with new faces and younger players gaining more experience.
Sophomore Valeria Patino earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors last year, including career best round and tournament scores at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown where she finished tied for 6th overall.
Incoming freshmen Vicky Tsai and Eddie Hsu are both coming to the program from Taiwan, and Johnson believes both will benefit from less pressure and a more supportive environment.
“We just want them to adapt to living here and flowing with the team while not worrying about their scores too much. They will definitely play well but that isn’t the priority,” Johnson said. “Valeria (Patino), being from Panama, has done a great job of helping the freshmen acclimate to their new environment.”
Season 12 for Johnson will feature a number of unique tournaments, including a few that Idaho will be playing in for the first time. In addition to a first-time invite to New Mexico, the Vandals accepted an invite to the Bryan National Collegiate at Wake Forest University, which will also be a first for the program. Idaho will also play a home event at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Gonzaga.
The Vandals will start the season in New Mexico on Sept. 10 in the Branch Law Firm/ Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker