Women's golf eyes repeat title at home invitational

As April arrives and the Sioux Falls snow makes its last stand, the Augustana women’s golf team returns to Elmwood Golf Course with homefield advantage and a title to defend.  

Elmwood, located adjacent to the Sioux Falls airport, is scheduled to host the Augustana Invitational on April 6–7, a 36-hole tournament that the Vikings captured first place in last season.  

Head coach Coralee Jorgensen and her roster share the belief that another victory is possible. 

“It’s not a should win, it’s a could win,” Jorgensen said. “That’s one where I’ll need all of our players to show up and score.”  

The second half of the golf season is underway after Augustana opened their spring stint on March 12–13 with a second-place finish at the SMSU Mustang Challenge in Linchfield Park, Arizona.

Senior Lanie Veenendall is and will continue to be a key component of the Vikings’ success, according to Jorgensen. She took second place outright with a two-round aggregate score of 149 (+9) in Linchfield Park.  

The following week, Augustana traveled to Mayetta, Kansas to compete in the Women’s Firekeeper Open on March 23–24.  

A pair of birdies on her final two holes propelled Veenendall to a final round score of 70 (-2) and a comeback victory, her first of the season and second of her college career.  

Jorgensen attributes Veenendall’s unprecedented success and consistency to “her hard work and her determination.”  

“She wants it so bad, and that shows,” Jorgensen said. “If you were to look up the statistics, Lanie is going to [have] the lowest scoring average in the history of Augustana women’s golf.”  

Veenendall reflected on the developments in her mental game across her career.  

“In the past, my approach to tournaments has been different,” she said. “I definitely felt more pressure, but now I don’t feel that way. I just see it as any other tournament.”  

Veenendall acknowledged that the Augustana Invitational has traditionally been a high-pressure event for her. But this year, she is approaching the tournament with excitement.  

With her friends and family following along in the gallery, she plans to put her “best effort into each shot and be proud of [her] score regardless of the result.”  

However, success at the Augustana Invitational will depend on more than Veenendall.  

Division II women’s golf tournaments typically take place over two days during the regular season. Athletes play 18 holes each day and are scored using the “5 count 4” system, where only four of the five individual scores count toward the team’s daily total. 

This means that four Augustana golfers must play well each day in order to win. To that end, Jorgensen is looking to sophomore Anna Eckmann, who continues to watch her name move up leaderboards as the season progresses.  

“[Anna] is such a seasoned player,” Jorgensen said. “She’s just coming to be right now. I can tell her confidence is skyrocketing.”  

As the team prepares for Elmwood, Eckmann emphasized the importance of playing together rather than as individuals.  

“It’s more about contributing as a team instead of going for yourself,” Eckmann said. “If we just go out there and play how we know we can, we can win.”  

Following the Augustana Invitational, the Vikings will compete in the Wildcat Classic on April 13–14 in Wayne, Nebraska. After that, the team will vie for the NSIC Championship on April 22–24 to Blue Springs, Missouri. 

Jorgensen encourages Augustana students to come out and support her players at Elmwood as they look to secure a first-place finish on home turf.