Dawgs Back in Action at the Silverado Showdown Monday
SEATTLE – After nearly a month's break, the University of Washington women's golf team returns to the course this week as it heads to the Silverado Showdown co-hosted by Colorado and Oregon at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif. The three-day, 54-hole event at the par-72, 6,192 yard course will be played with 18 holes each day starting at 8 a.m., April 5-7.
THE LINEUP: The Huskies will play freshman Camille Boyd, junior Martha Lewis, freshman Stefanie Deng, senior Rino Sasaki and sophomore Brittany Kwon.
THE TEAMS: Washington, Colorado, California, UNLV, Iowa State, USC, Northwestern, Oregon State, San Diego State, Arizona State, Washington State, UCLA, San Jose State and Oregon.
LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies won both the team and individual titles at the Juli Inkster Meadow Club Invitational in their last tournament. The Dawgs posted a 12-over 876 to win by six strokes over Stanford. Washington was led by Rino Sasaki who earned her second individual win as a Husky by posting an even-par 216. Additionally, freshman Stefanie Deng finished tied for third, her best showing as a Husky and junior Martha Lewis also finished in the top 10 with her seventh-place effort, also her best of the season.
TOURNAMENT + INDIVIDUAL VICTORY: Washington swept both the team and individual titles at the Juli Inkster Meadow Club in March making it the first time since October of 2018 that the Dawgs took home both victories at the same event. Overall, since 2015-16, Washington has now brought home both victories in tournament five times. The last time came at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational during the 2018-19 season when Washington posted a 5-under 859 for the win and Sarah Rhee won her first individual title of her career. Prior to that, you'd have to go back to the first event of the 2016-17 season when UW took home both titles at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational, Oct. 10-11, as Julianne Alvarez won the individual crown. She also won the same event in the 2015-16 season as a freshman when UW took home the team title. The same season, at the Peg Barnard (Feb. 13-14, 2016), Wenyung Keh claimed first with UW bring home the trophy.
LAST SEASON'S SUCCESS: Washington is coming off a shortened season which saw the team take home three top five finishes and two individual titles. They finished the year with their best showing finishing third at the Juli Inkster Meadow Club Collegiate. Senior Rino Sasaki won the Pac-12 Preview in Hawaii during the 2019-20 season and led the Huskies with a 73.75 stroke average while adding four under-par rounds. Outgoing senior Karen Miyamoto also claimed a victory, winning the season-opening WSU Cougar Cup.
WHAT'S BACK: The Huskies return senior Rino Sasaki, junior Martha Lewis, sophomores Brittany Kwon and Winnie Ng this season, who all saw significant action during the 2019-20 campaign. Sasaki has posted seven top 10 showings in her career as a Husky and led the Dawgs a year ago in stroke average (73.75). She was named the Pac-12 Golfer of the month for November of 2020 after she didn't finish lower than 13th in any of the four fall tournaments the Dawgs competed in. Kwon finished as high as tied for 11th a year ago while Lewis tied for 12th at the Cardinal Cup. Ng competed in five events a year ago and turned in a tie for 26th at the Cardinal Cup for her best showing of the year. Manhua Chen has not been able to return to the U.S. yet during the pandemic. Graduate student Wenyan Ma is also back for the Dawgs.
WHO'S NEW: Washington welcomes three newcomers to the squad this year in Camille Boyd (Shanghai), Stefanie Deng (Shanghai) and Adithi Anand (Redmond, Wash.). Boyd and Deng are both come from Shanghai while Boyd is originally from California. Deng racked up multiple top 10 finishes on the international circuit in China with her highest showing being a second-place effort at the Buick National Junior Classic in China. Boyd had many successes during her high school career, finishing second at the Wincraft/McArthur Towel & Sports Future Legends Classic. Anand won the Washington Junior Golf Association State Championship and finished eighth at the Eagle Crest Junior Championship before finishing ninth at the Pacific Northwest Junior Girls Amateur. She also placed 27th at the IMG Junior World Championships.
SPRING SCHEDULE: Head coach Mary Lou Mulflur's Huskies opened the spring campaign at the SMU Trinity Forest Invitational before heading to the desert for the ASU Sun Devil Winter Classic, Feb. 15-17. The Dawgs then will compete at the Bruin/Wave Invitational, March 1-3 in California before taking on the Juli Inkster Meadow Club Invitational, March 8-9. Up next is the Anuenue Spring Break Classic in Maui, March 22-24, before the Silverado Showdown in Napa, April 5-7. To close the spring season, Washington will compete at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque April 11-12. The Pac-12 Championships this year will be held in Stanford, April 23-25.