After facing challenges at the Cavalier Regional, Illinois women’s golf stayed closer to home this week. The Windy City Collegiate Classic, hosted in Wilmette, Illinois, brought 15 teams together for an intense two-day competition at the Westmoreland Country Club.
The club presented a challenging layout for the field, featuring a par-72 course. It stretched 6,519 yards for the athletes to play three rounds of golf across Monday and Tuesday. Illinois was unable to overcome the difficulties of the course and ultimately finished the event in fourteenth place.
Illinois’ five-woman lineup entered the tournament needing a rebound but didn’t get one. The Illini combined to record rounds of 306, 305 and 313, finishing with a total score of 924 (+60).
Arizona State claimed the tournament title despite not being perfect themselves. Every program finished over par in the Classic, with the victorious Sun Devils finishing with 875 (+11). They were led by one of the nation’s top golfers, sophomore Patience Rhodes. The former top-25 recruit finished tied for fifth place.
Although the Illini were off to a slow start to the season and the weekend competition was elevated, hopes remained high that they could turn it around. However, the Illini showed no promise from the very beginning. They secured thirteenth place after round one, with a total of 306 (+18).
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Junior Victoria Zheng began the tournament with a solid even-par 72. The Illini top golfer recorded three first-round birdies that positioned her in ninth place. Zheng only added three more birdies the rest of the tournament and slipped to 35th place by the final round.
This performance ultimately tied Zheng with her teammate, sophomore Yurang Li. Zheng wasn’t the only Illini to regress throughout the tournament, as junior Brielle Mapanao concluded her first day tied for 48th place but ultimately dropped to 51st by the end.
No other Illinois golfers did better. Junior Anna Ritter wrapped up her day in 70th place after a third-round score of 79 (+7). Meanwhile, senior Lexanne Halama finished the tournament in a tie for 74th, having scored an 82 (+10) in her final round.
Overall, the two-day experience resulted in more struggles, and consistency proved to be elusive once again. It’s up to the Illini to regroup and improve in future competitions as the season progresses.
@mattisonleskis
