The Oakland University women’s golf team placed fifth at the Golden Grizzlies Invitational on Sept. 26-27. 

The Golden Grizzlies Invitational is a stroke play tournament at Oakland University’s Katke-Cousins Golf Course that follows both individual and team play based on total score. Seven teams were represented with five players each. The course’s par is 72.

The women’s golf team, coached by two time Horizon League Coach of The Year Alyssa Gaudio-Guss,  placed fifth out of seven teams found in its Horizon League Conference scoring +44, falling behind Central Michigan University and Eastern Michigan who tied for 1st at +24, Dayton at +41, and University of Detroit Mercy at +43. Oakland lead over Cleveland State at +61, and Purdue Fort Wayne at +62.

In round one of the two-day tournament, Oakland scored 304 points, led by Graduate student Vanessa Haque with 75. After round one, Oakland was in fourth place but fell to fifth in round two, being overtaken by Dayton and scoring 316 and a tournament total of 620. Oakland placed third  in pars on the course behind Eastern and Central Michigan with 95 pars as a team compared to 104 and 98 respectively but finished second to last in Birdies with 15 in total.

Haque led the team with a tournament score of 149, which tied for third  overall among players, though her efforts weren’t enough to overtake Central Michigan, who took first place in both team and individual scores. Oakland’s Amalia Shahzan tied for 13th with an overall score of 154 and was second among Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

Central Michigan led all teams in Par 4 and 5 scoring and finished second in par 3 scoring, but is the only team to average under par, doing so on par 5 holes. Oakland University finished at 3 in par 3 scoring, fifth in par 4 scoring, but was second only to Central Michigan in par 5 holes.

Terrain was a factor during the tournament as four inches of rain and a steady rain the day before played into field conditions. All teams dealt with both the terrain and drying conditions as they adjusted their game plans.

Oakland, who last season finished third overall in the Horizon League, looks to bounce back at the Shirley Spork Invitational at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 4-5. The Women’s Golf Team brings the right mix of experience and skill to rebound against their conference rivals on the road. 

The Golden Grizzlies Invitational is Oakland’s last home tournament until the Motor City Cup on February 6-7, 2022. Under Coach Gaudio, the women’s team has broken records and taken second place in the Horizon League Championship Cup and entered the school’s first NCAA regional tournament appearance. 

With the next invitationals in Eastern Michigan followed by Charleston, Oakland University looks to regain its status and compete for the Horizon League once again. Led by Gaudia and Haque, competing is a reality for this talented women’s golf team.