Hawkeye women’s golfer Paula Miranda got off to a hot start at the Badger Invitational in Verona, Wisconsin, this week. The freshman from Puebla, Mexico, fired a 5-under-par 67 in the tournament’s opening round.

Miranda’s first 18 holes featured five birdies and no bogies. Miranda birdied holes one and two back-to-back on the front nine in the first round. She then made consecutive birdies on holes 16 and 17 on the back nine.

Miranda’s 5-under-par score is the second-lowest in Iowa women’s golf history. 

Miranda led the Badger Invitational by three strokes as an individual after round one.

“Paula came out so strong and did a great job of keeping the momentum going all day,” Hawkeye head coach Megan Menzel said in a release following the first round. “A bogey-free round on [that] course was outstanding.”

Dana Lerner posted the Hawkeyes’ second-best round one score, carding a 2-over-par 74.

The Hawkeyes found themselves at 9-over-par as a team after the first round of the Badger Invitational — good for sixth place in the 12-team field.

Miranda and the Hawkeyes, however, cooled off in round two.

After five consecutive pars to begin the second round, Miranda bogeyed the par-five sixth hole and then parred all of the front nine’s remaining holes.

Miranda couldn’t get it going on the back nine in round two either — shooting 6-over-par. Miranda eventually carded a 7-over-par 79 in round two.

Sophomore Klara Wildhaber led the Hawkeyes in round two with a 3-over-par 75.

Not much went right for Iowa in round three of the Badger Invitational, either.

Miranda fired a 4-over-par 76 in round three, recording both triple and double bogeys on the back nine. Miranda finished the three-round tournament at 6-over-par as an individual.

Overall, Iowa shot 50-over-par as a team to place ninth at the Badger Invitational.

SMU won the event, shooting 11-over-par as a unit. The Mustangs bested second-place-finishing Notre Dame by just two shots.

Old Dominion took third at the Badger Invitational, despite two of its golfers finishing in first and second place as individuals.

“It was not our best showing this week,” Menzel said in a release after the tournament. “We got beat up pretty good, and after two tournaments, our weaknesses are evident. We need to get to work to turn those weaknesses into strengths.”

The Hawkeyes will take a break from competition next week before they tee it up at the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Oct. 8-10. The tournament will be hosted by the University of Denver and held in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.