The Navy women’s golf team emerged victorious at the 2023 Red Rocks Invitational on Sunday, shooting a program-record team score of 1-over par 289 in the final round to surge into first place. The three-round tournament, hosted by Northern Arizona University, took place at the Oakcreek Country Club in Sedona, Arizona.
After finishing the first 36 holes in fourth place at 15-over par 591, Navy got a pair of individual 2-under par 70 performances on Sunday to shoot the 1-over par 289 over the final 18 holes and post another program record via the tournament-winning overall team score of 16-over par 880.
Freshman Hallie Brisco shot a team-low of even-par 216 across all three rounds to finish in fifth place, just four strokes off tournament medalist Ellena Slater of Northern Arizona. Junior Mara Hirtle and sophomore Stephanie Lee also contributed to the team’s victory, finishing in a tie for 11th and a tie for 15th place, respectively. Fellow freshman Sue Lee finished tied for 29th, while senior captain Eve Worden tied for 53rd.
“We are so appreciative to all our hosts this week in Scottsdale,” said head coach Nadia Ste-Marie. “We had many wonderful playing days, and I’m extremely proud of this team for what they accomplished the past two days.”
The team’s 16-over par 880 overall score for a 54-hole event surpasses the previous program low of 885 shot at the Bucknell Invitational in 2021. The team’s third-round score of 1-over par 289 also set a program record for lowest team round in relation to par, beating the 5-over par 293 shot by Navy in the final round of the Nittany Lion Invitational in 2018.
Brisco’s first-round score of 3-under par 69 is tied for the second-lowest individual round in program history both overall and in relation to par, while her 54-hole score of 216 is the second-lowest in program history after teammate Bridget Hoang shot a 215 at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational during the fall.
Navy returns to action on March 25 at the USNA Golf Club, hosting fellow Red Rocks Invitational participant Delaware for the Battle at the Bay dual match.