The Portland State Vikings women’s golf team achieved its best tournament score in eight seasons at the Jackrabbits Invitational, which concluded on March 17 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada. Sisters Cynthia Valerie Ong and Caithlyn Ong led the team, each finishing tied for eighth place with a two-over par total of 218 over three rounds.
This performance placed the Vikings fifth among ten teams, with a combined score of 294-293-291=878. The four teams ahead of them held higher national rankings. St. Thomas edged out Portland State for fourth place by just one stroke after shooting a four-under par 284 on the final day.
UNLV won the event with a twelve-under par total of 852, followed by South Dakota State at 865 and Morehead State at 867. St. Thomas finished fourth with 877, while Portland State rounded out the top five.
Individually, Pin Hsi Chen from UNLV claimed first place with a nine-under total of 207. McKenzie Mages of South Dakota State and Foong Zi Yu of UNLV tied for second at 211.
Cynthia Valerie Ong recorded her career-best round with a two-under par 70 in the final round, climbing ten spots on the leaderboard. Freshman Caithlyn Ong also set a new personal record for both single-round (72) and tournament (218) scores. Other notable performances included Maddie Dustin finishing twenty-fourth with her second-best season score and Bayler Brundage posting an eagle during her final round to finish thirtieth overall.
The Vikings collectively made forty-six birdies and one eagle throughout the tournament, ranking second among all teams in birdies made over three rounds. Their final round score of 291 was their best single-round team result since shooting an even-par 288 during the final round of the Big Sky Championship in 2019 on the same course.
Portland State’s next competition is scheduled for April 13-15 at the Bobcat Desert Classic in Goodyear, Arizona, followed by participation in the Big Sky Conference Championship from April 20-22 in Litchfield Park.
