By Ron Smith
September 10, 2024
 
(CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif.) Westmont Golf teed off the 2024-25 season with strong performances at the PCH Fall Invitational held at the Quail Lodge Golf Club. The Warriors' women's team captured second place while the men finished third.
 
Freshman Kyla Layman won the individual championship in her first collegiate outing. In Monday's round, she posted a score of 77 (+6) that put her in a tie for second place, two strokes back of Faith Guevara of Dominican. Then on Tuesday, she lowered her score by three strokes, finishing with a two-stroke victory over Guevara and Rori Fanning of Menlo. Her round of 74 (+3) was the best of the tournament.
 
"It was awesome for Kyla to start her NCAA career with a win," said Westmont's head coach Leo Maes. "Her ball striking was very good. She is very relaxed on the golf course. There were no expectations in her first tournament. She just went out there and tried to play par golf, which is pretty much what she did.
 
"The women's team was excited to get started," said Maes. "This was a good tournament to help us realize we can have high expectations and that we have good talent. I think all the players are happy about taking second and are excited to take that energy and go and compete in Utah in two weeks."
 
Westmont sophomore Noelle Thompson also finished in the top-10 as did Hannah Camara and Sydnee Magpoc. After shooting an eight-over round  of 79 on day one, Thompson dropped two strokes on day two, moving up two places to tie for fourth. 
 
"Noelle was super steady despite battling some injuries," noted Maes. "For her it was about grinding through it and she did a good job of that to finish fourth."
 
Camara and Magpoc were two-thirds of a three-way tie for seventh place. Camara shot a 78 (+7) on day one and an 81 (+10) on day two. Magpoc, struggled in the first round with an 84 (+13), but dropped nine strokes in the second round to move up nine places. Her second-day round of 75 (+4) tied with two others for second best in the tournament.
 
"Both Hannah and Sydnee believed in themselves and were competitive," observed Maes. "For Sydnee, that was the source of the turnaround for her from day one to day two. Hannah went out and was competitive and represented the team and the school well."
 
As a team, Westmont posted a 329 on day one and dropped 11 strokes to 318 on day two, finishing with a 647 team score (+79). They were 13 strokes behind tournament host and champion, Menlo, and 11 ahead of third-place Dominican.
 
In the men's tournament, the Warriors tallied 297 on day one and 299 on day two. Their 596 total was five strokes behind Menlo and 17 behind Dominican.
 
"The men's team had a good start," noted Maes. "We went into this week without any expectations. To position ourselves on Monday for a chance to win was the best thing we could ask for. The win didn't happen, but positioning ourselves like that is a positive to take into the next couple of weeks of practice."
 
Sophomore transfer Tyler Williams was runner-up on the player leaderboard. He shot a three-under 68 in the first round, then finished the tournament with a one-under 70. His round of 68 was the second lowest of the tournament.
 
"Tyler was steady," asserted Maes. "With a year's experience under his belt, he went out and led by example."
 
Freshman Ryan Brady claimed third place, three strokes behind Williams. Brady shot a 73 (+2) on Monday and followed that up with a 70 (-1) on Tuesday, moving up two places.
 
"It was really cool to see his performance," said Maes. "He finished last in our qualifying, but then was mentally strong coming into the tournament. Life has its ups and downs, but he was an example of what it means to keep believing in yourself and working on your daily goals. I'm super proud of what he did.
 
"He was a great example of following up a bad day (at qualifying) with a great day. He understands that golf isn't life, you just have to show up and keep working at it. He is centered in his faith and understands where everything needs to be in his life."
 
Also finishing in the top-10 was freshman Max Hosfeld who posted a 70 (-1) on day one and a 78 (+7) on day two to finish in a two-way tie for sixth.
 
"Max is learning a lot," said Maes. "I am proud of how he competed both days. You are going to hear his name a lot at the leaderboard. The second day was tough, but overall, to finish in the top ten is one of his goals and he is already achieving that."
 
The women's team will be back in action September 22-23 when they travel to Jordan, Utah to participate in the Westminster Invitational at Glenmoor Golf Club.
 
The men's team will not compete until the Westmont Invitational on October 7-8 at Sandpiper Golf Course.