A 13th place finish was not the spring start Texas A&M women’s golf coach Andrea Gaston wanted, but she said the team will bounce back once they knock the dust off.
The Aggies had not competed since early November 2020 when Blanca Fernández García-Poggio had a top-25 finish at the Liz Murphey Fall Collegiate in Athens, Ga.
At the ICON Invitational on Monday, the sophomore led the team through the first day with a 3-under score of 141 through the first two rounds. After finishing the opening day tied for 10th, Fernández García-Poggio capped off the tournament on Tuesday with a 79 in the final round and tied for 36th in the field at 4-over.
The Aggies finished the three-round tournament at 57-over as a unit, sinking 26 birdies and 120 par scores at the ICON. Despite the outcome, Gaston said it felt good to be back out on the course.
“Rhythm is so important, so when we lost practices due to COVID-19 and the winter storm these past couple of weeks it really impacted our flow,” Gaston said. “Once we get back into routine, the scores will reflect that.”
Fernández García-Poggio had a team-high 38 pars and sank six birdies, while Ava Schwienteck (73-76-77—226) birdied a team-high nine holes and posted the best third round on the team with a 77. The senior finished tied for 54th. Amber Park (82-75-78—235) and Stephanie Astrup (74-81-85—240) round out the group in 72nd and 74th.
The team is scheduled to travel to Columbia, S.C., to take part in the Gamecock Intercollegiate March 1-2.