Pacific University Sophomore Briana Finau is nothing but consistent for the Boxers women’s golf team. After a successful freshman season, with a scoring average of 83 that included two top five finishes and five top-ten finishes, she is continuing her success into this year.
Finau has already achieved a third-place finish at the Pacific Lutheran Invitational, with a two-round finish of 13-over-par, and a fifth place finish at the Whitman Invitational, with a two round 19-over-par finish. Finau credits her time practicing over summer to helping her get where she needs to be. Especially in the mental state of the game.
“This summer I developed a new mindset on how to practice, where there is a clear purpose on every shot,” Finau said. “Since last year, my mental game has improved, but I find it to be the one area that I can still improve on in order to really compete.”
Finau sat five strokes back at the Puget Sound Invitational in the first round with a score of 79, but an injury during the round
forced her to withdraw from the tournament. Though, that didn’t hold her back from the next tournament, with a fifth-place finish at the Whitman Invitational and later a ninth place finish at the Culturame Classic hosted by George Fox University.
Understanding her swing more and the mechanics that come with it give her the confidence to know her ability to shoot well for the Boxers. As shown, Finau has already racked up four top-five finishes and eight top ten finishes in her career.
As far as the team, even through their struggles, Finau believes there is a lot of ability for the team to be able to do well.
“Overall, I think that this team has potential,” Finau said. “There are a lot of new players that have contributed greatly during the tournaments.”
The Boxers will host the Northwest Conference Fall Classic at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks, Ore., on Oct. 14 and 15. This tournament will conclude the fall season and is the “major” tournament of the season, as there is one during the fall season and two during the spring season. Finau, and the rest of the women’s golf team have high hopes in placing well for the last tournament of the fall season.
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