It’s the only chance to see Gopher Golf in Minnesota this season
For the only time in the 2024-25 season both the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s and women’s golf teams will host home tournament this week. The Men will host the Gopher Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence Sunday and Monday while the women host their annual Annika Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo Monday through Wednesday.
It will be the season kick off for the Gopher Men who will be looking for a new leader to step up after Ben Warian’s graduation. Warian made the NCAA Championships last spring. Minnesota has a few returners in senior Eduardo Galdos, and juniors Mason Roloff, and Cormack Sharpe, but will be hoping one of their many newcomers can step up and lead this team.
Minnesota will be joined by several Power 5 teams at Windsong including West Virginia, Rutgers, Marquette, Iowa, Nebraska, Baylor and Iowa State amongst others.
On the women’s side, the Gophers have played in one tournament this season finishing in second place at the Boilermaker Invitational last weekend behind host Purdue. Minnesota was again led by star Isabella McCauley who won the Big Ten Championship last spring and competed at the NCAA Championships. McCauley finished in solo third place last weekend and once again closed strong as she is known to do finishing her final round with a -4 68.
Minnesota brings in two new players who will significantly help this roster after losing several great players including Emma Carpenter and Grace Curran to graduation. One is a returnee as sophomore Mariana Mesones returns to the U after taking off a season. The Peru native was a star for Minnesota as a freshman breaking the school’s 18-hole (62), 36-hole (130), and 54-hole records (203), earning the title of runner-up of the Evie Odom Invitational (73-68-62—203) and winning back-to-back B1G Player of the Week honors. Also joining the Gophers this season is Isabella’s sister Reece McCauley. The Inver Grove Heights native won a pair of Minnesota Girl’s State Tournament championships and should add another great low scoring threat to the Gopher lineup.
Minnesota will compete in the Annika against one of the strongest fields in college golf. The other 11 teams competing include Purdue, Wake Forest, Iowa State, Arizona State, Clemson, UCLA, South Carolina, Oregon, Duke, Central Florida, and Cal.
The weather should be gorgeous for some great Minnesota Golf this week!