Against a competitive 13-team field that included three top-15 teams, the Illinois women’s golf team finished 11th, with a 50-over-par 914, at the Westbrook Spring Invitational which took place Sunday and Monday. The event was marred by some inclement weather at the Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Ariz., which resulted in a frost delay on the second day.

The team acknowledged many times that it came in with a lot of confidence, especially coming off a win at the Illinois Challenge on Feb. 3. Illinois said the last three weeks of practice were really strong, but as head coach Renee Slone said, the Illini’s patience needs improving. Difficulties like the weather didn’t help.

“Honestly, we weren’t very pleased,” Slone said. “We just didn’t execute very well.” 

Slone added that the fairly rough start could be attributed to subpar putting, which she said resulted in many three-putt holes for the team.

Wedge play was another point of concern for the team. Shots in the 120-yard range led to a high team score and more inopportune situations.

There were some individual highlights for the team, though. Sophomore Pimploy Thirati scored an eagle in the first round of play on the par-5, 482-yard eighth hole. She was one of only three golfers to eagle in the first round. The score came after a solid 214-yard shot downwind, which set up about a 17-foot putt. The putt would prove difficult, but Thirati sank it.

“I’m going to treat it like any other putt,” she said to herself in preparation for the shot.

Thirati finished tied for 26th overall and was 11-over-par for the invite with a score of 227. She pointed to her struggles with her hybrid club and a lack of aggression as places to improve.

“Before going into the tournament, I feel everyone was very prepared,” she said. “I feel like I could have done better.”

Sophomore Jacqueline Calamaro also tied for 26th overall and remained among the top-three Illini competitors throughout the invite despite a slow start.

After a small and easy adjustment in her stance after the first day, Calamaro posted her invite-low 1-over-par score of 73 in the third round. She appeared very pleased to get out any first-invite jitters.

“I’m excited the season started,” she said. “It’s a good start for sure.”

Illinois’ next competition will be at the Notre Dame Clover Cup on March 8-10 in Mesa, Ariz. The team’s short game, as always, will be the major point of emphasis. Still, there were positives to be taken away, especially with the second day of play.

Alex can be reached at [email protected] and @AlexOrtiz2334.