Oct. 27, 2015
Final PDF Results | Final Results
BOULDER CITY, Nev. - Buoyed by a pair of top-10 individual performances, the 13th-ranked San Diego State women's golf team finished in third place at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown on Tuesday after shooting a 12-under par 276 during the final round at the par-72, 6,277-yard Boulder Creek Golf Course.
With their total, the Aztecs completed the tournament with a collective 30-under 834, demolishing a school record for lowest three-round score by 24 strokes set last month at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Colorado.
Such gaudy numbers were not enough, however, as Vanderbilt (-33) and host UNLV (-33) ended the 14th annual event as co-champions, edging the Scarlet and Black by three shots, while Michigan (-29) placed fourth, followed by Missouri (-28). The congested leaderboard also included Tennessee (-26) and Texas (-25) as the top seven schools finished within eight shots of one another. In all, 17 of 19 teams posted final totals under par, including 15 in double digits.
San Diego State's fortunes were carried by Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah), who established a program standard for lowest 54-hole individual score after finishing the week at 11-under 205. The Aztec junior played bogey-free golf for the second time in three days, notching final-round 68 to climb six places into a tie for the fifth position with four other competitors. After reeling off nine consecutive pars to begin the round, Blair caught fire on the back nine with four birdies, including three straight on holes 16-18 to complete her second top-five effort of the season and seventh as a collegian.
Not to be outdone, senior Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) continued her ascent on Tuesday, climbing an additional seven places into a tie for 10th at 10-under 206 after shooting a 68. The three-time all-Mountain West performer tied for the team lead with six birdies, including a successful conversion on the par-3, 142-yard No. 17, which ranked as the third-toughest hole of the final round. With the result, Henrikson, who entered the week with a No. 5 individual ranking by Golfweek, logged her third top-10 showing of the year and 11th of her Aztec career.
In addition, Mila Chaves (Asunción, Paraguay) matched Blair and Henrikson with a 68 of her own on Tuesday. The SDSU sophomore drained six birdies as well, including four over a five-hole stretch from Nos. 10-14, to complete her lowest single round of the year. Despite one lone blemish on her scorecard, a double-bogey on the par-5 16th, Chaves still managed to jump 16 places into a tie for 28th at 4-under 211.
Elsewhere, sophomores Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.) and Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.) each carded a 72 to round out the Aztec starting lineup. Krause lost ground for the second day in a row, slipping five spots into a tie for 31st at 4-under 212. Despite three bogeys, the native Oregonian sank three birdies on the day, including an impressive conversion on her final hole, the par-4, 353-yard No. 3, to complete her first tournament at SDSU in red figures.
Meanwhile, Lacey recorded three birdies of her own on Tuesday, including a successful stroke on the par-4, 377-yard No. 15, which ranked as the fifth-most difficult hole of the final round. Despite adding 11 pars to the mix, the Torrey Pines High alumna was unable to avoid a stumble into the 65th position at 1-over 217.
SDSU was also represented by freshman Kitty Tam (Hong Kong), an unattached golfer who shot a 77 to tie for 82nd at 5-over 221. Tam posted birdies on the sixth and 13th greens, but five bogeys and a double at No. 17 proved too much to overcome.
Anna Newell of Tennessee (-18) notched her second straight 65 to claim medalist honors by two strokes over Long Beach State's Kassidy Teare (-16), while second-round leader My Leander of San José State (-14) slipped into third, followed closely by Texas' Sophia Schubert (-13).
San Diego State will have nearly four months off from competition before returning to action for the Westbrook Spring Invitational, Feb. 21-22, 2016, at Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Ariz.
Las Vegas Collegiate ShowdownFinal ResultsBoulder Creek G.C.Boulder City, Nev.Par 72, 6,277 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 19 schools)T1. Vanderbilt...280-275-276-831 (-33)T1. UNLV...281-278-272-831 (-33)3. San Diego State...280-278-276-834 (-30)4. Michigan...275-279-281-835 (-29)5. Missouri...277-285-274-836 (-28) Individual Leaders (Top 10 of 105 players + SDSU)1. Anna Newell, Tennessee...68-65-65-198 (-18)2. Kassidy Teare, Long Beach State...68-66-66-200 (-16)3. My Leander, San José State...65-67-70-202 (-14)4. Sophia Schubert, Texas...69-68-66-203 (-13) T5. Sirene Blair, SDSU...67-70-68-205 (-11)T5. Jennifer Hahn, Vanderbilt...68-69-68-205 (-11)T5. MacKenzie Raim, UNLV...71-68-66-205 (-11)T5. Catherine Peters, Michigan...68-68-69-205 (-11)T5. Grace Choi, Michigan...71-65-69-205 (-11)---T10. Emma Henrikson, SDSU...72-66-68-206 (-10)T28. Mila Chaves, SDSU...72-71-68-211 (-5)T31. Haleigh Krause, SDSU...69-71-72-212 (-4) T65. Georgia Lacey, SDSU...72-73-72-217 (+1)T82. Kitty Tam, SDSU*...74-70-77-221 (+5)
* - competed as an individual