The Arizona women’s golf team finished in 11th place at the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship in Franklin, Tenn.

In what could be one of the toughest tournaments of the year for the Wildcats – nine of the top 10 ranked teams competed in the tournament – the Wildcats’ score of 32-over-par at the Vanderbilt Legends Course is quite an accomplishment in itself, seeing as it’s ranked as one of the top courses in the country by now defunct Golf for Women.

A strong showing in the tournament’s final round – the team scored a 5-over-par on the day – helped the Wildcats move from 13th to the 11th-place spot they finished in.

“”There were a lot of good things that came out of this tournament,”” said UA head coach Shelly Haywood. “”We played as a team.””

The young team was lead by junior Brittany Benvenuto, who finished in a tie for 23rd place with a 5-over-par for the tournament. She shot a career low 3-under-par round of 69 in the final round of the tournament as she tried to make a push for the number-one golfer on the team.

“”I am excited for her,”” Haywood said. “”She worked so hard all summer long and I think that she definitely is trying to make a statement with (her performance).””

The rest of the Wildcats team didn’t fare quite as well as Benvenuto, but they didn’t play all that poorly either. Sophomore Alejandra Llaneza finished in a tie for 39th place after shooting an 8-over-par and senior leader Amanda Wilson who finished in a tie for 45th place with a 9-over-par.

The Arizona freshmen were Margarita Ramos and Nikki Koller who each suited up in their first tournament as Wildcats. They finished in a tie for 53rd and a tie for 68th place with scores of 12-over-par and 16-over-par, respectively.

“”I am very encouraged from our team’s performance,”” said Haywood. “”We had three different people with low rounds each day.””

The amount of competition did not seem to be a huge problem for the team. The women understand that they have to play well as a whole each week in order for the team to have the best chance at winning.

“”We have got to bring our A-game every time,”” said Haywood. “”You have to come ready to play no matter what.””

Men’s Golf Team Finishes Seventh at William H. Tucker Invitational
As the men’s golf team left for Albuquerque, N.M., last week, expectations were high for the season opener at the William H. Tucker Invitational. After a seventh-place finish in New Mexico, the team is ready to work on its mistakes and prepare for the rest of the season.

Nevada-Las Vegas took the tournament without much of a fight from the other teams as the Rebels finished at 12-under-par, 11 strokes ahead of second-place and host New Mexico.

The UA team finished with a 31-over-par and seven strokes behind the sixth place team, BYU.

The story for the Wildcats was junior Brad Nicholson. A transfer from BYU, Nicholson shot a total of a 7-over-par for the tournament and finished in a tie for 26th place. Nicholson competed in his first event as a Wildcat and made it count, leading his team with a final round 75 on Saturday.

The rest of the Wildcats all finished in a four-way tie for 37th with sophomores Jonathan Khan, Tarquin MacManus and Roberto Galletti and senior Tyler Neal posting scores of 10-over-par.

Nicholson’s performance helped him establish himself as a team leader, something that UA head coach Rick LaRose said was missing before the season began. With such a young team, leadership is something that the men need to be able to compete throughout the rest of the season.

The Wildcats are in action next at the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno, N.V., from Oct. 6-7.