PULLMAN, Wash. - Opening the 2019-20 season with their own WSU Cougar Cup, the Washington State women's golf team sits in a tie for fifth place after day one at Palouse Ridge Golf Course. The Cougars were led by a pair of under-par rounds by senior Marie Lund-Hansen and sophomore Darcy Habgood as the duo put themselves within striking distance of the lead through 36 holes.

Despite battling cold and breezy conditions that turned into rain at the end of the second round, Lund-Hansen, celebrating the start of her senior year and her birthday, was able to conquer the weather and the course to finish the day at five-under with a two round score of 139. Lund-Hansen got going early as the fourth-year Cougar birdied three of her first nine holes to set the tone for the day. Two-under at the turn, Lund-Hansen finished her opening round wih a 36 on the back-nine, balancing a pair of bogies with a pair of birdies to close out the round with a -2, 70. Making her way back to one, Lund-Hansen immediately posted another red number to her scorecard with a birdie three on the opening hole. She would add a second birdie two holes later before finishing the front with a bogey and a birdie. Once again on the back-nine, Lund-Hansen would be steady, carding another two birdies while only giving one shot back with a bogey on 15 to finish three-under for the round and five under for the day. Her 139 put her one-stroke off the tournament lead and in a tie for 3rd place overall at five-under par.

Trailing the senior by just one stroke, Habgood put together a career round in the opening 18 holes at her home course as the sophomore shot her first 69 in a Cougar uniform to go three-under. Habgood was nearly perfect in her first round, quickly going three-under through her first 10 holes of play before a mistake on 14 gave back two strokes. Undeterred, the second-year golfer got immediately back on track with a birdie on 15 before taking back another stroke on 17 with her fifth birdie of the morning. Inside the top-10, Habgood would come up with her second under-par round of the day in the afternoon with a -1, 70 to close out her day. She would fire off four more birdies in the second round to finish with nine birdies, birdieing a quarter of her holes played on Monday. Overall, Habgood would finish in a tie for sixth place at 140 (-4).

While Lund-Hansen and Habgood would lead the way, sophomore Amy Chu stole the show with the stroke of the day as the second-year golfer holed a nine-iron on the par-3, 16th from 138 yards out. The hole in one was the first in Chu's golfing career. She would finish the day in a tie for 49th overall at 149 (+5). Freshman Jiye Ham shook off an opening six-over to post an even-par, 72, in her second collegiate round. She would finished tied for 53rd with a two-round score of 150 while junior Emily Baumgart finished one-stroke back at 151 (+7) and in a tied for 62nd.

After the conclusion of day one, the Cougars as a team sat tied for fifth place with a score of 573 (-1). No. 32 Oregon State leads the pack at -13, one shot in front of No. 24 Oregon at -12. Individually, Oregon State has a pair of golfers tied for the lead as Ellie Slama and Issy Taylor each carded a 138 (-6) through 36 holes.
 
Competition will continue Tuesday, Sept. 17 beginning at 7:45 a.m. with a shotgun start. 
 

T5	Washington State	288	287	575
T3	Marie Lund-Hansen (1)	70	69	139, -5
T6	Darcy Habgood (2)	69	71	140, -4
T49	Amy Chu (5)	73	76	149, +5
T53	Jiye Ham (4)	78	72	150, +6
T62	Emily Baumgart (3)	76	75	151, +7