Despite the many difficulties that the Cal State Northirdge women’s golf team endured during its trip to compete in the Red Rock Invitational at Oak Creek Community College in Sedona, Ariz., there were many standout performances.

Of the 73 female golfers, only five were competing from CSUN. Head Coach Bonnie Murphy was pleased with her team’s first round performance and felt that it was a breakthrough preformance.

“(I) saw some signs of hope for the team,” Murphy said. “We’re gonna be just fine.”

As a team, the Matadors did much better Feb. 25 than on Feb. 26. Murphy was pleased with Kristin Smith, the only senior on her team.

Smith finished 15th with a two-round score of 158 (+14). Smith was the strongest player of this weekend’s tournament, Murphy said.

“(We) had a couple of big holes,” Smith said. “If I could have eliminated those, it would have cut a lot of strokes off my game.”

Smith plans on focusing on her short game during practice, specifically putting and chipping, to become a stronger player, she said, adding that she played well, but left too many shots on the course.

Sophomore Jennifer Yoo tied for 29th place with a score of 163 (+19). Yoo was recovering from a previous illness.

“(Yoo) didn’t have her best tournament, she’s been pretty sick,” Murphy said. “She missed practice and I think that affected her, but I’m expecting some really good things out of her.”

Yoo was dissatisfied with her performance. She said her scores have been really disappointing.

She said her putting average has been the worst of her career. Though she is not satisfied, Yoo said the team has really come together.

The team unity and the encouragement that they provided really allowed the young women to move forward, Murphy said.

The Matadors ended up having transportation problems that forced the athletes to push themselves mentally, Murphy said.

“I think the way it ended up we were all tired,” sophomore Lucy Davies said. “It’s hard to play like that because (golf) is such a mental game. We still have a lot to work on.”

Davies was tied for 58th place with a final score of 173 (+29). She not pleased with her performance and felt that she could have done much better, Davies said.

Sophomore Jameliz Torres finished with a score of 174 (+30), which was good for 61st place. The Matadors additionally ended up with the third fewest birdies of the thirteen competing teams, and thirteenth in par 3 scoring.

In the future, the team will be going through various techniques to improve their game, Murphy said. Smith and Davies plan on focusing their attention on their short game, while Sutton is going through a swing change, she said.

Murphy has big plans for her team and plans on focusing on their mental toughness.

“We’re going to learn how to focus and recover from bad holes,” Murphy said. “That’s where we’re struggling, they’re putting too much pressure on themselves.”

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, who were the hosts, tied for first place with University of Texas-El Paso Miners with a two round score of 623.

Mary Kate Morgan of Gonzaga shot an even-par 72 Feb. 26 to finish at four over-par 148 and take the individual championship.

Though this was not an easy trip for the Matadors, they are optimistic for what lies ahead. Of the 11 golfers, only five will be traveling to the Matadors’ next tournament in Santa Clara, Murphy said.

“I have 11 bright young women and I’m really proud of them,” Murphy said. “I have talented players. They have all of the qualities of a good golfer.”

The Matadors will next be on the course at the SCU Colby at the Rancho Canada Golf Course in Carmel Valley March 13-14.

Nicole Garcia can be reached at nicole.garcia.66@caun.edu.