Men’s and women’s golf start seasons with spring trips

Many Augustana students traveled over spring break, and the men’s and women’s golf teams are no exceptions. The men played tournaments in Las Vegas, Nev., and Topeka, Kan., while the women played in Palm Desert, Calif.

The women hosted a two-day tournament at The Classic Club in Palm Desert. The Vikings placed fourth out of nine teams with scores of 320 on day one and 310 on day two for a total tournament score of 630.

According to assistant coach Kaari Speer, the competition included six of the top 25 teams in Division II, including Rollins College, the 2016 national champions and the University of Indianapolis, the 2015 champs.

“It appears that we didn’t do as well, but these were some of the top teams in the country,” Speer said.

In addition to competing against top competition, Augustana beat four teams from the region: Central Oklahoma, Lindenwood, Southwest Minnesota State and Oklahoma Baptist.

According to junior Kali Trautman, it was the team’s first tournament outdoors since the fall season break.

“On the second day, we knew that we all wanted to improve significantly, and we all did quite a bit—about six shots each,” Trautman said.

Individually level,  junior Sierra Langlie placed 15th, shooting a two-day total of 157, landing  the title NSIC Player of the Week.

“Our goal is to get better every day and with every tournament,” Trautman said. “We always stress practicing with a purpose, and it has proven in past years that when we continue to work towards when the season matters, we seem to be prepared.”

Men’s Golf

Swinging over to the men’s side, Augustana competed in a pair of tournaments over spring break. In Las Vegas, the Vikings placed seventh out of nine teams, scoring a three-day total of 917, with junior Parker Klitzke placing second individually at one-over par.

As the first tournament of the year, the scores were not surprising to Klitzke.

“The first time you get out and  play on actual grass is different,” he said. “But, we bounced back and played better at Topeka.”

In Topeka, Augustana placed seventh out of sixteen teams with a score of 321. Klitzke was again a top individual, tying for fifth place at five-over par despite 38- degree temperatures, windy conditions and a second-day cancellation due to snow.

“Having the tournament only go for one day really diminishes the impact of the results in a sense that most of the tournaments that we play are two or three rounds,” Klitzke said. “So, when the regional selection committee looks back at the results, it doesn’t give us as strong of a standing.”

Head coach Danny Sinksen shared these frustrations but looked at Topeka overall as a good experience.

“It was a survival day for us, but I think we learned a few things while we were out there to prepare for the upcoming championship,” Sinksen said.

What’s Next

The men’s golf team will be playing at the Upper Iowa Spring Invitational this weekend, and the women head to the West Texas A&M Invite on Monday.