The South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) Women’s Golf Team made history this past weekend where they competed as a team for the first time ever in the Grisham Memorial Shootout tournament, hosted by St. Martin’s University at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash. This tournament also marked the first time in school history that SPSCC has competed in an NCAA Division II event.

Although the Clipper Golf program is now in their second year of existence, the women’s golf program had only two members last season. To compete as a full team, there needs to be at least four golfers on the squad.

The team is led by sophomore Grace Hurley, who participated in the NWAC Golf Championship last year, and features incoming freshmen Emilee Anderson, Lindsay Collett, Leela Sansavere, and Audrey Williams. Hurley, Anderson, Collett, and Williams were the golfers selected to represent Clipper Women’s Golf at the Grisham Memorial Shootout.

In the first round of the tournament, the Clippers got off to a bit of a rocky start, hitting a 483 gross score for the team. However, the second round went much smoother for our ladies as they improved their gross total by 24 strokes compared to the first day.

Hurley described her experience being out on the course with the team, saying, “It was really fun getting to play alongside my team and being able to relate to each other’s struggles out on the course. We support each other, and this tournament made us stronger as a team.”

“The people we were playing against were amazing players and it shows they put in the work to get where they are today. It is very inspiring to see that,” Hurley said about the strength of the competition during the tournament.

SPSCC Head Golf Coach Russell Olsen praised the team’s composure and fortitude, “The women's team […] represented SPSCC very well, showing great sportsmanship and strength of character. Our young team is now tournament-tested and ready for the women's first NWAC League Match Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Richland, hosted by Columbia Basin College.” 

Next up for the SPSCC Golf Program is the men's team playing in the NCAA Division II Bishop Invitational hosted by St. Martin's on Sept. 26 and 27. The team will be represented by Luke Fenner, Charlie Ancich, Braeden Salme, Carter Dorenbosch, and Preston Sims.