Every member of the women’s golf team hit over par as the Matadors finished last in the Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The team finished at a lower standing than they did last season in Hawaii, claiming 13th place with 934 strokes this time around, a 15-stroke increase.

The women’s golf team played at the Kapolei Golf Club, where the 18 holes are surrounded by still bodies of water and solitary palm trees scattered around the field. The tournament, played from Oct. 24-26, was held by the University of Hawaii and hosted 13 teams, including one other team from the Big West Conference — CSU Bakersfield.

Cold starts were the theme for the Matadors as they struggled to hit on par in the first round, shooting for a collective 27-over. While there was a slight improvement the next day, they were only able to muster a 23-over performance. On the final day of the invitational, the Matadors took yet another jump. Though the improvement was minimal, the Matadors managed to strike the ball for a 20-over.

All of the members of the team shot above par throughout the tournament.

Senior Grace Bettis led the team in scoring, but she began her tournament slow with an 8-over 72, pocketing a birdie in the first round. She improved on the second and third day, but she still hit errant shots for a collective 7-over. Collecting six more birdies, she ended up with the second most on the team overall, trailing behind sophomore Fernanda Sosa Stackpole, who pocketed eight birdies. Bettis struck the ball enough to tie for 42nd place.

Sosa Stackpole teed off for CSUN’s team-best score in the first round, shooting 4-over with three birdies to boot. Her performance the next day was unchanged, as she again shot for 4-over and collected three more birdies. On the final day, Sosa Stackpole shunted for a 9-over and collected her last two birdies after taking some errant shots, leaving her tied with five other players for 49th place.

Pursuing a turnaround from the last tournament, in which she whacked the ball for a 28-over, junior Elle Laur did not improve by much with her performance in Hawaii. Laur began with a team-high of 11-over and no birdies. The next day, she took a step in the right direction, shooting for a 6-over and pocketing a birdie.

The final day proved to be her best, as she hit for a 3-over. Laur tied with three other players, including one from Hawaii, for 61st place.

Leading the team in the first two tournaments, first-year Matador Gracie Piar has started to cool off in form. Her outing in Hawaii started off on the wrong foot, as she rocked the ball for 10-over each of the first two days, while collecting three birdies total in that time frame.

By Wednesday, she showed signs of confidence but could not get on par, ending with a 4-over effort and one birdie on the final day. Piar placed 69th with 240 strokes.

Attempting to carry some forward momentum from the Big O Classic was first-year player Kim Turgut, who earned the team’s second-best score at the last tournament. Her trip to Hawaii halted any momentum she carried.

She began the tournament producing a 5-over and racking up two birdies. The next two days saw a decline from Turgut, in the form of a collective 21-over with no birdies, and plenty of over-pars throughout the scorecard. She finished 70th, taking 242 strokes.

This concluded the fall portion of the 2022-2023 season for the Matadors. Tournament play will resume on Feb. 1, when the Matadors host the tri-match between CSU Long Beach and CSU Bakersfield, two Big West Conference rivals.