The UW Oshkosh women’s golf team finished in seventh place out of eight teams in the three-day Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship at Reedsburg Country Club.

The event ran from Friday to Sunday, and they put up team scores of 352, 360 and 343 for a total score of 1,055.

Considering the odd schedule change from fall to spring with the COVID-19 pandemic, head coach Beth Hubbard commends her team’s effort. She also said that although her team put up a phenomenal array of rounds this year, there are multiple aspects of the game that still need work.

“The team had some solid performances this year but there is always room for improvement in short game, approach shots and mindset,” she said. “Your golf game is always evolving and requires quick adjustments in real time as you compete depending on the strengths and weaknesses of your game that day.”

UWO golf started their WIAC championship experience off rough, with their 352 and 360 scores being seventh best in the competition, but their third round score of 343 was sixth best in the competition and was their third lowest score of the season.

Junior golfer Margherite Pettenuzzo shot rounds of 84, 92 and 82 for an overall score of 258 (+48) to lead UWO.

Despite the Titans not finishing among the top half of teams in the meet like they did all season long, Hubbard said she was pleased with her team’s understanding of the rules of golf.

“Understanding the rules of golf and utilizing the best choice for your game in that moment is something the team has improved upon,” Hubbard said. “This past weekend one team member ruled their ball unplayable since it was against a tree stump instead of trying to hit it left-handed or backwards.”

Hubbard also stated that she was pleased with the team’s performance considering the overall lack of experience and high amount of nerves. Hubbard said that her team’s ability to shake off the nerves and perform well.

“With not the most experienced team, nerves may have gotten the best of us the first day at the WIAC championship, but we turned the nerves from a negative into a positive and fought back the last two days to continue to improve and some reach new scoring levels,” Hubbard said.

With the season concluded, Hubbard said she is thankful for the golfers on her team. She states that her players’ dedication to the game of golf and the team aspect is what keeps her going.

“The players are a huge part of why I love coaching. Their dedication to the team and work ethic pushes everyone to strive for more and to see that motivation impacts others is my favorite part of coaching,” she said. “The athletic department here at UWO is one large cheering squad and to have that support is a great feeling.”

With the season projected to resume in the fall if the pandemic continues to subside, the team is looking towards a quick turnaround.

Even with Hubbard being a golf coach, her focus is on her players’ success as students.

“The next step for the team is focusing on finals week as this academic semester comes to a close; they are student-athletes after all,” Hubbard said.