Aug. 26, 2015
2015-16 SDSU Women's Golf Schedule
SAN DIEGO - The defending Mountain West champion San Diego State women's golf team will play nine regular-season tournaments across six states during the 2015-16 campaign, as fifth-year head coach Leslie Spalding revealed the Aztecs' schedule on Wednesday.
SDSU opens its fall slate in three weeks when it makes its 12th consecutive appearance at the Branch Law Firm Dick McGuire Invitational, Sept. 14-15, in Albuquerque, N.M. Then-sophomore Sirene Blair tied for third at the event a year ago en route to earning MW Co-Golfer of the Month honors, while the Scarlet and Black placed fifth in the team standings.
After their excursion to the Land of Enchantment, the Aztecs will remain at elevation for their next tournament, when they head north for the Golfweek Conference Challenge, Sept. 21-23, in Wolcott, Colo. SDSU last competed at the event in 2012, as former Aztec star Christine Wong made a hole-in-one on the Fazio's Course's par-3 17th at Red Sky Golf Club, near the Vail Ski Area.
Following a two-year absence, the Aztecs will also make a return trip to the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, set for Oct. 6-7 in Sammamish, Wash. Emma Henrikson is the lone holdover from SDSU's last visit to Sahalee Country Club in 2012, when she tied for 13th on the suburban Seattle course as a freshman.
The Aztecs continue their swing of the American West three weeks later when they travel to the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 25-27, in Boulder City, Nev. SDSU will looking for its third consecutive team title in its autumn finale, winning outright in 2013, followed by a shared crown with Minnesota last season.
The Scarlet and Black will then have nearly four months off before returning to action in 2016 for the Westbrook Spring Invitational, Feb. 21-22, in Peoria, Ariz. The University of Wisconsin will serve as host school for the two-day, 54-hole event, which will be played at Westbrook Village Golf Club outside of Phoenix.
The Aztecs will finally compete on California soil toward the end of the month when they venture north for the Bruin Wave Invitational, Feb. 29-March 1, in San Luis Obispo. After a four-year run in the San Fernando Valley, the event, co-hosted by UCLA and Pepperdine, shifts to the Central Coast at San Luis Obispo Country Club. Last season, Blair tied for second on the individual leaderboard at El Caballero Country Club, helping SDSU to a solid fourth-place finish in the team standings.
The Aztecs will have three weeks to prepare for their lone home event of the year when they take center stage at the SDSU March Mayhem at The Farms Golf Club in nearby Rancho Santa Fe. The third annual tournament, rebranded from the SDSU Farms Invitational, is set for March 21-23, and will feature a match-play format for the second year in a row. The Aztecs placed third among 16 teams last year, with Henrikson and Blair each posting a 2-1-1 record in their respective matches.
San Diego State will have one final tune-up before the conference meet when it travels to wine country for the Silverado Showdown, April 3-5, in Napa, Calif. The Aztecs skipped the event last season after finishing 15th in 2014.
For the fourth straight year, the Mountain West Championship will be held at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Last season, SDSU led wire-to-wire for its first-ever league title as three individuals finished among the top 15, including Mila Chaves, who tied for first in regulation before falling in a sudden-death playoff, while Henrikson landed in the fourth spot.
The Aztecs will be aiming for their fifth postseason bid as a team in the last six years when the NCAA conducts its regional championships, May 5-7, across four sites, including Stanford (Stanford G.C.), Bryan, Texas (Traditions G.C.), Baton Rouge, La. (University Club) and Shoal Creek, Ala. (Shoal Creek G.C.).
If SDSU qualifies for the NCAA finals, it will compete in the national championship series for the first time in program history, May 20-25, at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
San Diego State, which finished 26th in the final 2015 Golfweek team poll returns four starters from its MW Championship lineup a year ago, including all-conference performers Henrikson, Blair and Chaves.