The Illinois women’s golf team traveled to Fairfax, California, on Monday to compete in the Meadow Club Women’s Intercollegiate tournament. The Illini finished in third place, carding a total score of 881 (17-over par)

This was the first time the Illini have competed in this tournament.

Head coach Renee Slone said playing in an unknown territory was a positive.

“We just look at it as a new opportunity, a new experience, and we embraced that,” Slone said.

The Illini were led by strong performances from freshman Swing Liu and junior Chayanid Prapassarangkul, who were both in the top-5.

Liu finished the tournament tied with BYU’s Kendra Dalton for second place, going two-under. Prapassarangkul tied for fourth place with Sirene Blair of San Diego State, going one-under.

Liu led the field after the first day of the tournament, but eventually slid to second in the final round. This finish marks her career best. Prapassarangkul led the field in birdies with 13.

The middle of the individual standings was tightly contested, with very little distance between spots.

Grace Park tied for 36th place with three other players, carding a total score of 228 (+12).

Bing Singhsumalee finished in a tie for 40th place with four other players.

San Diego State took home the top spot in the tournament with a total score of 870. BYU came in second, carding a total 874.

The Illini scored 294 and 296 in the first two rounds. Their best came on the final day, with the team posting a score of 291 in the final frame.

Slone feels like there are still improvements to be made for this team.

“There were a number of successes,” Slone said, “but we do have some things we need to tidy up individually.”

This tournament makes it five straight top-5 finishes for the Illini this season. That stretch has come without a strong showing from the team as a whole.

Slone sees that as an advantage for her team.

“I think it should really give us confidence that we haven’t necessarily had four strong scores each round, either,” Slone said. “Right now, that’s an area we can definitely grow in.”

Slone thinks that the team’s finish in this tournament helps build towards its goals for this season.

“We put ourselves right there in the hunt, right in the mix,” Slone said. “We continue to do that time and time again. That just builds confidence. We’ll get over that hump very soon.”

The Illini have this weekend off, and they’ll compete again at the Briar’s Creek Invitational starting March 20.

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