Feb. 24, 2015
SANTA ANA, Calif. - The San Diego State women's golf team completed the opening tournament of its 2015 spring slate on Tuesday, finishing in eighth place with a combined 27-over par 891 at the UC Irvine Invitational presented by Kia at Santa Ana Country Club. The 24th-ranked Aztecs slipped three spots from the previous day after shooting a collective 18-over 306 during the final round on the par-72, 5,903-yard course layout.
Mila Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay) was SDSU's highest individual finisher, tying for the 18th position at 2-over 218 after carding a 76 on Tuesday. The Aztec freshman was 7-over through 14 holes, but closed with a rush, posting a birdie and two pars before making eagle on the par-5, 420-yard 18th, her second of the week at that location. Despite falling 12 places from the opening day, Chaves still managed her second top-20 performance of the season.
Three of SDSU's remaining four starters also lost ground over the final 18 holes, including junior Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) and freshman Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), both of whom landed in a tie for 36th at 10-over 226. Despite collecting three birdies on the day, Henrikson tumbled four spots down the leaderboard after settling for a 77. The native Swede was undone by five bogeys along with a triple-bogey at the par-3 11th.
Meanwhile, Lacey suffered a more precipitous drop, sliding 10 places after posting a 78 on Tuesday. The Torrey Pines High alumna opened with three straight pars; however, a double-bogey at No. 4 served as a harbinger for the rest of the day. Although Lacey soon followed with a birdie on the par-3 No. 6, which played as the fifth-toughest hole of the round, six additional bogeys proved too much to overcome.
Likewise, Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) experienced final-round difficulties of her own, dropping 10 spots into the 42nd position at 12-over 226 after firing an uncharacteristic 79. The Aztec sophomore endured five bogeys and two double-bogeys over a rocky 10-hole stretch before finishing strong with two pars and two birdies. On the flip side, senior Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was the lone SDSU player to display upward mobility on Tuesday, climbing six places into 42nd as well after carding a 75. Despite a double-bogey at No. 10 and two additional bogeys, Spiranac played steady golf for most of the day, notching 14 pars and a birdie to finish with the team's low score of the round.
The Aztecs were also represented by freshman Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.), an unattached golfer who ended the week in a tie for 58th at 17-over 233 following a final-round 79.
Bolstered by four top-10 individual finishes, Washington (-10) captured the team title over Pac-12 rival USC (+1), while Texas A&M (+6) held off a hard-charging UNLV squad (+7) that posted a tournament-low 276 on Tuesday, followed closely by SMU (+8). Texas A&M's Marijosse Navarro (-5) defeated Gabriella Then of USC (-5) on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff to claim medalist honors and earn an exemption to the Kia Classic next month at Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., while the Washington duo of Charlotte Thomas (-4) and Jennifer Yang (-4) tied for the third position.
San Diego State returns to the fairways next week when it competes in the Bruin Wave Invitational, March 2-3, at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.
UC Irvine Invitational presented by KiaFinal ResultsSanta Ana Country ClubSanta Ana, Calif.Par 72, 5,903 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 13 schools + SDSU)1. Washington 283-283-288--854 (-10)2. USC 287-290-288--865 (+1)3. Texas A&M 286-292-292--870 (+6)4. UNLV 301-294-276--871 (+7)5. SMU 298-291-283--872 (+8)----8. San Diego State 289-296-306--891 (+27)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 72 players + SDSU)T1. Marijosse Navarro, Texas A&M* 72-68-71--211 (-5)T1. Gabriella Then, USC 70-68-73--211 (-5)T3. Charlotte Thomas, Washington 73-70-69--212 (-4)T3. Jennifer Yang, Washington 69-72-71--212 (-4)5. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 72-72-70--214 (-2)----T18. Mila Chaves, SDSU 69-73-76--218 (+2)T36. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 71-78-77--226 (+10)T36. Georgia Lacey, SDSU 77-71-78--226 (+10)T42. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 74-79-75--228 (+12)T42. Sirene Blair, SDSU 75-74-79--228 (+12)T58. Haleigh Krause, SDSU^ 79-75-79--233 (+17)
* - won sudden-death playoff on fifth hole
^ - competed as an unattached golfer