The Arizona women's golf team finished second after 36 holes yesterday in its only home spring meet, the Wildcat Invitational held at Arizona National Golf Course.
Junior Lani Elston led the Wildcats, finishing 3-under par with a career-low 68 in the first round to put her in third place.
"I tried to keep the same mindset for the second round because you know you're going to be fatigued," Elston said.
After two rounds, Elston was tied for fourth place with a 1-over-par 141.
"She is capable of being one of the best in the country," said Arizona head coach Greg Allen. "You're going to see her confidence grow and grow."
Junior Whitney Welch also made a Herculean effort, finishing seventh in the first round with a 1-over-par 71 and her best-ever round at Arizona's home course.
"I told Whitney no matter what happens next, my year is complete because of what she did today," Allen said. "It just shows how hard she worked."
Welch finished 1-over-par and sixth place overall with a total score of 143.
Fellow Junior Cassandra Kirkland finished tied for 15th with a total score of 144 (+5).
The Wildcats shot 578 as a team, with three players finishing in the top 20, a significant improvement from last year when they finished ninth.
"This team can flat-out play and everyone is playing well at the same time," Allen said.
However, the team may have extra incentive to perform at its best.
"Greg said if we win this tournament, he'll wear a white skort and a magenta shirt in the next tournament," Elston said.
Allen said he would do whatever it takes to motivate his team.
"I told them, 'You win and I'm wearing it,'" Allen said.
Despite the bet, Allen emphasized that this is by no means why they played well.
"It's extremely important to win your home tournament," Allen said. "It's huge just to be in the hunt."
The Wildcats conclude the final round of their home tournament today at 8 a.m.