Sophomore Beth Holtermann tied for 18th place overall in the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Denver, Colo. Matt Brown/CSULB Sports Information

Kay Hoey

 

Women's golf team rebounds after slow start to finish 10th

By Eden Andu
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer

After a rocky Monday, the 49ers' women's golf team finished in 10th place Tuesday.

Only a couple of weeks into their season, the 49ers traveled to Denver, Colo., this weekend, along with BYU, Colorado State, UC Irvine and 12 other teams, to participate in the Rom Moore Intercollegiate at the Highlands Ranch Golf Course. This was the team's second tournament in two weeks. They finished 6th in their first tournament.

The 49ers started the tournament sluggishly Monday with a score of 625 (total strokes) after the first and second rounds (310-315). In 12th place, just four shots behind Portland State's 621 and one shot above Weber State, the 49ers were determined to move up going into the last 18 holes on Tuesday.

The Beach's Julie Kim ended her first day tied for 35th with a 155 while freshman Kay Hoey finished tied for 44th with a 156. BYU ended the day in the lead with 588 total strokes while San Francisco was in second with a scored of 593. USF's Joan Shimozak finished Monday as the individual leader after shooting a two-under-par, 142.

Despite a slow start on Monday, the team came focused and ready to play Tuesday. In a complete turnaround, Hoey and sophomore Beth Holter-mann came blasting out on Tuesday moving up in the tournament. Hoey shot a 75 and Holter-mann a 74 in the third round, which put them in a tie for 18th place in the tournament with a final score of 231.

Colorado's Hannah Hoch finished on top winning the individual title with a 218. Denver's Emily Hoeper and USF's Joan Shimozaki both tied for second place at 223. San Francisco State finished the tournament with a score of 908 only one shot behind 2nd place Iowa State. BYU dropped to 3rd place after leading on Monday while Denver moved up finishing in fourth place.

Hoey looked good after her second collegiate tournament as a 49er. She bounced back from a poor first round of play to shoot an 81 in the second round and 75 in the third round, showing again that she is more than ready for collegiate golf competition.

Hoey pushed her way up from 44th place on Monday to tie for 18th place in the end. She finished her first collegiate tournament tied for 3rd at the Ptarmigan Country Club in Colorado last week. Hoey was also named the Long Beach State Athlete of the Week.

The women's golf team is off to an impressive start after two weeks of play. With freshman Hoey already making a name for herself and returning sophomore Holtermann continuing to show improvement, the team is looking good as they start their season.

With the season still young, the team is confident in their chances at winning the Big West Conference. If the tournament is a showcase of how the team will do this season, then 49er fans should be very excited about what the team has in store for them.

Head Coach Sue Ewart had great things to say about the team after their first tournament.

“I was very proud of the team and the way they competed, especially the freshmen,” Ewart said about their first tournament. “Katherine Hoey is a player who has a solid head on her shoulders. She was very impressive.”

The women's golf team will continue play on Monday when they participate in the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.