Morgan Goldstein recorded four birdies and no bogeys on the first nine holes of the second and final round of the Nevada Women’s State Amateur Championship in July. The Hawkeye golfer was making the turn at a 4-under-par 32.

As Goldstein stepped to the 10th tee box, her playing partner’s caddy said something to her.

“Right as I was about to tee up, he said, ‘Let’s hope Morgan doesn’t shoot a 32-52 [on the back nine,]’” Goldstein said. “I turned to him and I said, ‘That’s not going to happen.’ Then, I stepped up to the tee and hit a 5-iron right down the middle and I looked back at him and I said, “That’s not a 52 swing.”

The Las Vegas native didn’t shoot a 52 on the final nine of the tournament but rather fired a 1-under-par 35 to win the tournament by eight strokes.

Goldstein’s father who was caddying for her during the tournament had told her earlier that he believed that particular caddy may try to get into her head, so he wasn’t surprised after he heard what happened.

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“I told my dad [what had happened] and he was like, ‘don’t let it get to you,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘I actually did let it get to me but in a good way.’”

For the Iowa sophomore, having her father carry her clubs for the tournament allowed her to relax. She explained that the fun atmosphere allowed her to golf better.

“I had a lot of fun out there,” Goldstein said. “So that just kept me grinding it out. I told [my dad] not to give me much information [yardages etc.] and just have fun and talk with me about other things besides golf.”

She also noted that she knew many of her playing competitors from prior tournaments and that contributed to a laid-back atmosphere on the course.

Prior to the State Amateur, she had been struggling with a right-miss or “push” due to poor hip action during the downswing. She did some research and found the LPGA professional Lexi Thompson had the swing she wanted to try to emulate.

During the tournament, Goldstein would say “Lexi” to herself to remember what hip action she wanted.

Goldstein also credited her love for the course, Reflection Bay Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada, for her stellar and consistent play.

Fellow Hawkeye women’s golfer and classmate Jacquelyn Galloway, who followed along with Goldstein’s performance from her home in New Mexico, could only marvel at her teammate’s performance.

“I’m literally so happy for her,” Galloway said. “She and I are very similar on the golf course. We struggle together, we can play well together. So, for me to see her put a couple of rounds of golf together that were that low, it’s just incredible to me.”

Head coach Megan Menzel wasn’t surprised by Goldstein’s showing because she had seen her player exhibit all the skills necessary to win a tournament of that magnitude.

“Morgan is a very capable player,” the coach said. “She had a lot of success early on, and then as we all know golf is a constant battle to play at a very high level. So, I think it was just a matter of time until we’d see those types of scores again.”

Although the women’s golf fall season has been postponed, the team is hosting a tournament for the Iowa City community beginning at noon on Sep. 12.