Oct. 14, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas - Despite a pair of top-five finishes from Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) and Mila Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay), the San Diego State women's golf team slipped one notch on Tuesday, falling into sixth place after the final round of the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational at the par-72, 6,225-yard University of Texas Golf Club.
The Aztecs shaved 18 strokes off their second-round total with a 294 over the final 18 holes, but still lost ground in the team standings, finishing at 41-over 905 for the tournament.
Henrikson played bogey-free golf on Tuesday, tying for the low score of the final round with a 70, highlighted by birdies at Nos. 9 and 14. With her effort, the SDSU junior climbed five places into tie for third at 2-over 218 on the individual leaderboard for her fifth top-five performance as a collegian. Henrikson, who shared the spot with Iowa State's Celia Barquin, finished only behind medalist Hayley Davis of Baylor (-2), who led the tournament wire-to-wire, and UNLV's Dana Finkelstein (-1).
Chaves, meanwhile, wound up alone in fifth place two strokes in back of Henrikson at 4-over 220 after posting a final-round 73. The Aztec freshman countered a double-bogey on the first hole and two additional bogeys with a trio of birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the 17th and 18th holes, to secure her first top-five finish in only her third collegiate event.
Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.) also experienced upward mobility on Tuesday, vaulting 11 places into a tie for 42nd at 18-over 234 after carding a 73. Despite three bogeys, the SDSU freshman minimized the damage with birdies at Nos. 3 and 16 to complete her lowest round this season.
Conversely, Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) witnessed the opposite fate, tumbling nine places into a tie for 44th at 19-over 235 following a final-round 79. The Aztec sophomore was 1-under for the day after draining consecutive birdies at Nos. 4 and 5; however, six bogeys and a double-bogey down the stretch sandbagged her round.
The SDSU delegation also included Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who shot a 78 over the final 18 holes to finish the tournament in a tie for 62nd with a combined 25-over 241.
Tulane rallied to tie UNLV atop the standings at 31-over 895. However, the Lady Rebels still captured the team title based on a scorecard tiebreaker. UNLV's fifth golfer, Vivian Hsuan Chen, posted a final-round 72, while the Green Wave's No. 5 player, Belen Goicoecha, fired a 73.
San Diego State returns to the fairways in two weeks when it competes in the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 26-28, at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada.
Betsy Rawls Longhorn InvitationalFinal ResultsUniversity of Texas G.C.Austin, TexasPar 72, 6,225 yards
Team Scores (Top 6 of 15 teams)T1. UNLV* 284-314-297--895 (+31)T1. Tulane 291-314-290--895 (+31)3. Baylor 288-311-299--898 (+34)4. SMU 286-313-301--900 (+36)5. Miami (Fla.) 307-306-289--902 (+386. San Diego State 299-312-294--905 (+41)
*-won title on a scorecard tiebreaker
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 81 players + SDSU)1. Hayley Davis, Baylor 65-75-74--214 (-2)2. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 67-76-72--215 (-1)T3. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 74-74-70--218 (+2)T3. Celia Barquin, Iowa State 73-74-71--218 (+2)5. Mila Chaves, SDSU 72-75-73--220 (+4)----T42. Haleigh Krause, SDSU 78-83-73--234 (+18)T44. Sirene Blair, SDSU 75-81-79--235 (+19)T62. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 81-82-78--241 (+25)