Golf staf in the making
In only her second performance as a Viking, freshman Justine Hix is showing what she can do. In a great performance last week she finished highest among PSU golfers.
Hix tied for 25th out of 90 players at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational at Trysting Tree Golf Club, with a total score of 227. The invitational was hosted by Oregon State University on Sept 18-19. Hix’s most impressive round was the first when she posted a score of 73. She then scored 77 strokes in both rounds two and three.
As a team, PSU placed 14th out of the 17 teams present. They had scores of 313-311-313 for a tournament total of 937. The only other Big Sky Conference opponent present at the tournament, Eastern Washington University, placed 12th with an overall score of 928, while the winner of the tournament was the University of Denver with a score of 878.
The Vikings have already completed two of five tournaments that will take place this fall. The Ptarmigan/ Ram Fall Classic, which took place at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins, CO was hosted by Colorado State on Sept. 11-12.
PSU ended the tournament with a 13th place finish with a total score of 926. The highest placing Viking was Kayla Morinaga who tied for 30th with a score of 226 overall with round scores of 77-76-73. This total matched her career best for a three-round event. The winner of the Ptarmigan/ Ram Fall Classic was the University of Colorado with a score of 872.
PSU golf has a new look this year with three freshmen starting. Last season was a heartbreaking one for the Vikings. As the favored team heading into the 2006 Big Sky Conference Championship, they ended up finishing fifth. They had grown accustomed to winning after earning consecutive Big Sky titles in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
The two returning starters for PSU are Ashley Anast and Kayla Morinaga, and they make for a solid veteran core for the team. Anast was named a second team All Big Sky Conference for the 2005-2006 season. Both returnees had an 80.2 scoring average last season. The three freshmen named starters this fall are Hannah Bews, Justine Hix, and Danielle Ranallo.
With this new, young squad the Vikings will be looking to return to their champion status with a run at this year’s Big Sky Conference Championship which will take place after spring competition in April.
