This weekend, the Wisconsin women’s golf team will finish off their regular season at the Silverado Showdown tournament in Napa, Calif. The No. 32 Badgers will face off against several highly-ranked teams in the 18-team field at the tournament, including No. 1 UCLA, No. 8 USC, No. 10 Arizona State, No. 13 Arizona and No. 14 Northwestern. Teams will split up into groups of three to play 18 holes each day over the three-day tournament.
The Badgers have had a good season overall, never placing lower than sixth in a tournament, but have yet to post single first place finish. However, they did place as runners-up in two tournaments.
UW started off the season with a fifth-place finish at the Minnesota Invitational in Woodbury, Minn. The Badgers shot -9 as a team in the tournament, 17 strokes behind first-place Southern California, with Wisconsin senior Gabby Curtis posting a team best -5. UW tied with the University of Louisville for fifth place.
The next tournament for the Badgers was the East-West Match Play at the University Ridge Course in Madison. Wisconsin took fourth place in the preliminary round and went on to face Oregon in the semi-final, who they beat with ease. UW then went on to play Iowa State in the championship matchup, but the Badgers were unable to pull off a victory and took second place by a score of 4-1.
Next up for Wisconsin was the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational, hosted by the University of Kentucky at their home course in Lexington. The Badgers shot +12 for the tournament, four strokes behind first-place Notre Dame, for their second consecutive second-place finish. All five golfers for UW finished in the top 20 for the tournament, with senior Lexi Harkins placing seventh after shooting just one stroke over par for the tournament. Junior Jessica Reinecke also placed in the top 10, shooting +3 for a ninth-place finish.
The Badgers returned to the state of Kentucky for their next tournament, the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Cup. Wisconsin shot +28 for the tournament, earning it third place behind Illinois and victorious Louisville. All five UW seniors placed in the top 20 with another strong performance from Lexi Harkins, who tied for fourth place with a score of +5.
Wisconsin competed next in the University of Central Florida’s UCF Challenge in Orlando. UW shot +16, tying them for fourth place with Vanderbilt. Only one Badger was able to take a spot in the top 20, with senior Becky Klongland tying for 16th with a score of + 4.
UW next competed in the Westbrook Spring Invitational at the Vistas Course in Peoria, Ariz. The Badgers set a school record for a 54-hole tournament, shooting -20. This score was 11 strokes better than the previous school record set at the Minnesota Invitational earlier in the season. However, the new school record was only good for a fourth-place finish in the tournament, even though four Wisconsin golfers finished in the top 15.
The next competition for the Badgers was the Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. UW took third, shooting +29 for the tournament, one stroke behind second-place Kennesaw State and 18 strokes behind champions Arizona. Lexi Harkins tied for second, shooting an even 72.
Wisconsin then travelled to Sunset, S.C., to compete in the Clemson Invitational at The Reserve at Lake Keowee. UW shot +2 for a sixth-place finish, far behind first-place Furman’s score of -30. Lexi Harkins once again scored best amongst the Badgers, tying for 12th with a score of -4.
After the Silverado Showdown this weekend, UW will compete in the Big Ten Conference Tournament in Cincinnati before hosting the NCAA Regional in Madison in early May.
