Kansas State was in California for the Silicon Valley Showcase, the final tournament before the Wildcats head to postseason play at the Big 12 tournament.
The Wildcats finished in third for the event as they shot 26 over par on the difficult par-71 course. Eastern Michigan won the event as they finished at eight over par, with California right behind them in second at nine over. K-State finished eight shots better than fourth-place UC Davis, which left the Wildcats comfortably in third.
“It was a pretty disappointing week, although we did finish on the podium,” K-State head coach Stew Burke said. “We did not have five players battling to the end to count, which is where our early-season success came from.”
The best round the Wildcats had was their second round, as they shot one over par as a team, which was impressive given the tough greens. In the first round, K-State shot 11 over and ended the tournament with a round of 14 over par.
The Wildcats were also in third place after the first day of the event, and were led by Nanami Nakashima, who was in second place after the first two rounds, finishing two under par. Nakashima, however, was not able to keep that spot as in the final round, she shot seven over par and ended with a ninth-place finish.
Coming in tied for ninth place with Nakashima was Kelsey Chen, who had her best round of golf on the final day, shooting just one over and ending up in a tie for ninth. Chen’s good final round was crucial for K-State to maintain a solid lead in third place.
Finishing in 15th place and seven over par was Keen Visavapattamawan, who, like her teammate Chen, also finished the final round at just one over par. The freshman from Thailand entered the day in 25th place but jumped up 10 spots to land one of her best finishes of the year.
The final individual score for K-State was Casey Kang, who finished in 24th place at 11 over par. Kang entered the final day at four over — and while she didn’t have her best round — she finished in the top 25 of individual placers, where all four scoring Wildcats were.
Although coach Burke was disappointed in the way the women competed, a podium finish can bring some momentum going forward. The ‘Cats now have some time off as they prepare for postseason play, beginning with the Big 12 tournament in Dallas, Texas.
“The next few weeks will be pivotal in getting the most out of our practice time and getting the lineup right for the Big 12 Championship,” Burke said. “We will use the next few weeks to find the right combination of players heading into the postseason.”
The Big 12 tournament will take place April 23-25. NCAA regionals will follow the Big 12 tournament and begin on May 11.
