The Fort Lewis College women’s golf team will be returning to Durango with its highest individual finish since 2015 after Summer Vigil tied for first-place on Saturday in the final round of the Mustang Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Arizona.
Vigil shot a final-round an even-par 72 for a two-day total 143 and helped the Skyhawks take 19th after they shot a 54-over par 630 as a team.
It is the highest finish in program history since Jessica Thulson won the NWOSU Invitational during the 2015-16 season.
Vigil made two birdies on the final three holes and finished with four birdies and 11 pars.
“Honestly, those final few holes were awesome,” Vigil said. I had a great approach shot on one of the hardest par-3’s out there and made the put, and then on the next hole, I hit a money shot from the sand and was in a great spot to sink that putt. I knocked it in, and heading into that last hole, I saw where I stood, and only then did it hit me.”
Head coach Jim Foltz was very pleased with her performance.
“I thought she was phenomenal down the stretch,” Foltz said. “She knew that she was in a good position toward the final few holes, and for her to have that finish was fantastic.”
Vigil finished an hour and a half before the rest of the field and had to return to campus and was unable to play the one-hole playoff. In the playoff, Oklahoma Baptist’s Abigail Rigsby sunk a birdie to win.
“Regardless of competing for a playoff or not, there will still be a tied for first on her season stats, and that’s all that counts,” Foltz said. “It’s a big deal because it was a nationally-ranked tournament with a lot of great teams and golfers here. So, for her to have that t-1 next to her name will be huge going forward.”
Isabella Martinez was second for Fort Lewis after she shot an 11-over 79 and had a two-day total of 155 to tie for 49th. She tallied two birdies on holes five and 14, along with adding seven pars. Sophie Schwartz and Emilia Manntz each fired 166’s to tie for 99th.
“I was super pleased with how my teammates did, too,” Vigil said. “Everybody had a great round, and for us to get that new record on Friday was just as awesome.”
Fort Lewis will have two weeks to prepare for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament April 20-23 in Chandler, Arizona.
“This is what we’ve been building toward,” Foltz said. “Look how far we’ve come. We’ve come along way for competing in Durango. We are starting to play really well and I am looking for a strong finish at conference.”
The Fort Lewis College men’s golf team will begin play at the same course on Monday and Tuesday.
bploen@durangoherald.com
