LIGONIER, Pa. – The Gustavus women’s golf team traveled to Ligonier, Pa. and played one round in the CMU Tartan Invitational Tuesday and finished in eighth of 11 teams with a score of 340. The Gusties were set to play yesterday, however inclement weather made the round unplayable and just one round was played Tuesday. The field of 11 teams consisted of eight ranked team and two who received votes in the most recent WGCA poll.
“Traveling to Pennsylvania and playing Laurel Valley Country Club was an exceptional opportunity and experience for our women,” said Assistant Coach Randy Stuckey. “Arnold Palmer’s home in Latrobe was only 10 miles from the course and he had significant influence over the course design and hospitality of the course. As he described it, it was the Augusta National of the north. We stayed on site in cottages and everything about the experience was first class.”
Laurel Ward (Fy., Bozeman, Mt.) led the Gusties shooting a 79, which was good for an 11th place finish. Erin Ericson (So., Onalaska, Wis.) finished her solid fall season posting a score of 82 which tied her for 14th, while Emily Kratz (So., Edina) shot an 85 which was good to tie for 29th. Sydney Regalado (So., Rosemount) rounded out the Gusties scoring with a 94 which tied her for 51st.
Carnegie Mellon won the event, shooting a 313, while Ashley Lung of New York University earned medalist honors with a 73.
“It was the toughest golf course that I’ve seen our women play,” said Stuckey. “Every shot required precision, especially with greens that were heavily bunkered.”
The event marked the end of the fall season for the Gusties.