Ohio State then-sophomore Aneka Seumanutafa tees off at the Ohio State Scarlett golf course. Credit: Ashley Grimmer | Lantern File Photo
Coming into Sunday, Ohio State hoped for another top-10 finish after placing sixth at the Westbrook Invitational Feb. 28. However, despite a successful start, this outing proved to be a setback for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State finished 14th of 16 teams at the Northrop Grumman Invitational at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, California, Monday and Tuesday. Freshman Faith Choi and junior Kristin Jamieson withdrew from the tournament after the second round due to injuries.
Head coach Lisa Strom said the team’s struggles came from a combination of those injuries as well as tough competition and weak performances from key golfers such as senior Aneka Seumanutafa.
“Bottom line is we just didn’t execute and battled a little bit of some injuries that prevented a couple players from completing round two,” Strom said.
The Buckeyes shot 33 birdies after three rounds, finishing the tournament 47-over par — 51 strokes behind the tournament’s winner, Oregon.
During the tournament, it was announced the outing would be renamed the Therese Hession Regional Challenge Presented by Northrop Grumman starting in 2023. Hession coached the Ohio State women’s golf team for 30 years and served as the Buckeyes’ golf director for three years before retiring in January.
Ohio State found success Sunday, with the first round being its best of the tournament. The team shot 14-over 298 and held 12th place through 18 holes.
The Buckeyes took a step back in the second round, shooting 18-over 302 and falling to the No. 15 spot.
A bright spot for Ohio State was redshirt freshman Jillian Bourdage, who made five birdies on her way to an even-par 71 score Monday.
Bourdage said although there is work to be done, she is happy with how she performed in the second round.
“I’m still working on some different techniques and changes to my game,” Bourdage said. “But over time, it’s going to become a lot more consistent, and I was really happy with what I saw that day.”
The Buckeyes improved one spot in the final round, shooting 15-over 299 to end the tournament with a score of 47-over 848 — four strokes behind 13th-place Vanderbilt.
Ohio State’s next tournament will be the Ironwood Invitational at the Ironwood Golf & Country Club in Greenville, North Carolina, April 4-5.
Strom said the team will look to improve in its next outing, working on the basics in the weeks ahead.
“We’re not going to reinvent the wheel,” Strom said. “We just got to get back to what we know we really do well and make sure we stay true to that.”
