WSU Opens Aagaard Era with a Fourth-Place Finish at the Badger Invitational

MADISON, Wis. – The Washington State women's golf team opened the Sofie Aagaard era by posting a top-four finish at the 2022 Badger Invitational, as the Cougars concluded their season-opening tournament in a three-way tie for fourth place with a team score of 876 (+12).

The Cougars gave new head coach Sofie Aagaard a top-five finish in her debut tournament with Washington State by carding 5-over; 293 in the third round to finish in a tie for fourth with North Florida and host Wisconsin. Wazzu led the field in par shots, as the Cougars collected a total of 180 pars, 12 more than the team that collected the second-most pars. It is WSU's second-straight top-five finish at the Badger Invitational, as the Cougars placed fifth at last season's tournament after shooting 19-over; 883.

"Solid start to the season," said Aagaard. "We were just a couple of shots out of second place. We made some great birdies, hit quality tee shots, and played smart on the challenging holes. A few things to tidy up before our next event in Colorado. A quick turnaround that we hope will benefit us in keeping the competitive energy going."

The Cougars had three golfers finish inside the top 20 on the player leaderboard. Fifth-year senior Darcy Habgood and redshirt sophomore Jinyu Wu tied for 12th as each golfer carded 1-over; 217 over three rounds of play at the University Ridge Golf Course.  Both WSU golfers ended the 2022 Badger Invitational by shooting 2-over; 74 in Tuesday's third round. Meanwhile, sophomore Madelyn Gamble tied for 19th in her 2022-23 season-opening tournament as she shot 4-over; 220.

It is the fifth time in Habgood's career that she has posted a top-15 finish, while it is Gamble's fourth career top-15 finish. For Wu, it is the first time in her WSU career that she has placed inside the top-15 finish.

"We had strong play from Jinyu and Darcy, who were rewarded with a top-15 finish," expressed Aagaard. "I'm very encouraged by the skill level of our players and saw many great things from three days of competition."

Sophomore Sarah Skovgaard-Bils recorded her best 18-hole score as a Coug during Tuesday's third round. The Virum, Denmark native shot 2-under; 70 to post her first under-par round of the fall to help her close out the tournament in a tie for 28th at 6-over; 222. Junior Jiye Ham rounded the scoring for the Cougars at the 2022 Badger Invitational, as she finished in 59th place after carding 235 (+19).

Nebraska won the team title at the 2022 Badger Invitational, as the Cornhuskers shot 1-under; 863 over three rounds. Leigha Devine of Rutgers and Montgomery Ferreira of Notre Dame shared the tournament's individual title as each golfer carded 7-under; 209.

Washington State will be back in action next week, as the Cougars head to Wolcott, Colorado to play in the 2022 Red Sky Classic. Check back with WSUCougars.com for a full tournament preview.

For more information on the Washington State women's golf team, follow @WSUCougarWGolf on Twitter and Facebook and @WSUWomensGolf on Instagram.