Earlier last week, the women’s golf team went to Arizona for the Utah Valley Wigwam Preview hosted by Utah Valley University. Over the course of three days, Feb. 2-4, 54 holes were played with Utah Tech tying with the University of British Columbia for 2nd place.
The tournament is what’s called a preview, which allows the players to experience and get to know the course before they play on it during the Western Athletic Conference Championship in April. This allows the players to know what to expect and how to best prepare for when it matters the most.
The course they played was the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The resort consists of a hotel and three different championship courses. The three courses are the Red, Gold or Blue, each offering a difference in scenery and challenge. The team only played on the Blue Course, which will also be the site for the championship in April.
In the previous tournament, the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invitational, the team placed 14th overall. Both Jenna Anderson and Mia Cesarek as individuals tied for 39th with a final score of 5 over par. Samantha Phelan placed 49th with a score of 6 over par.
Anderson, a junior history major from Dousman, Wisconsin, was named player of the week in the Utah Valley Wigwam Preview. She was in the lead during the second round, but on the last day, she got a triple bogey on hole 17, resulting in the lead going to Grace Bell of British Columbia. Anderson was one of two players who scored under par in round one. At the end of the tournament, she placed 2nd with a score of 2 over par.
“Playing on this team has made golf more fun,” Anderson said. “I think our team environment brings a lot of fun back into the game.”
At the Wigwam Preview Cesarek, a sophomore management major from Tucson, Arizona, placed 14th with a score of 10 over par.
“Playing for the team is very different than playing on your own because you have to take into consideration your teammates,” Cesarek said. “You can’t give up because you have to support them.”
Phelan, a sophomore finance major from Henderson, Nevada, has been playing for the team for two years. At the Wigwam Preview, she placed 20th with a score of 14 over par. She said playing for the college team has changed her casual golf experience because she is always thinking about the future, even during the “fun rounds.”
Phelan said, “I’m still always thinking about my next college tournament because in college golf, it is not just you, it’s for the team.”
The next event will be Feb. 21-23 at the Western Michigan Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational that will take place in Rio Verde, Arizona. Additionally, March 7-9 will be the Southern Utah Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational.
