Sept. 21, 2013
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - San Diego State freshman Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) fired a 1-under par 72 Saturday to finish in a tie for third place on the individual leaderboard, leading the Aztec women's golf team during the final round of the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico Championship Course. As a team, SDSU climbed one spot into the sixth position after posting a combined 19-over 895 on the par-73, 6,192-yard track.
Blair carded just two bogeys on her scoreboard, sinking three birdies while making 13 pars to tie Pepperdine's Somin Lee at 4-under 215 for the tournament, two strokes in back of another Waves competitor Marissa Chow (-6) and eight shots behind Oregon's Cassy Isagawa (-12), who took home medalist honors.
The Aztecs' No. 2 finisher Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) was not as fortunate, however, slipping into a tie for 15th at 2-over 221 following a final-round 74. After draining a pair of early birdies, the SDSU sophomore suffered three bogeys during a seven-hole stretch and was unable generate further momentum, dropping four spots out of the 11 position.
Conversely, Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) managed to vault 16 places into a tie for 31st after matching Blair's score of 72 on Saturday. The Aztec junior was propelled by three birdies during a five-hole span on the front nine and finished with a three-round total of 7-over 226.
Sophomore Shannon Lubar (Littleton, Colo.) also made a sizeable jump on the leaderboard, climbing 10 spots into the 63rd position at 18-over 237. Despite suffering three bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys, the University of Denver transfer sank four birdies on the day to register her weekend-low of 76.
SDSU's remaining starter Maureen Dunnagan (Lexington, S.C.) finished one shot in back of Lubar in a tie for 65th at 19-over 238 after posting her second straight 79. The Aztec senior recorded 12 pars and a birdie on Saturday, but was derailed by a trio of bogeys and two double-bogeys.
Rounding out the Scarlet and Black delegation was junior Kristina Lynn (Carlsbad, Calif.), an individual golfer who tied Lubar for 63rd after shooting a final-round 77. Lynn sank four birdies on the front nine, but double bogeys on holes 10 and 12 stalled her advance up the leaderboard.
With three players in the top five, including Grace Na (-3), who finished in the fifth position, Pepperdine (-11) easily captured the team title by 12 strokes over runner-up Oregon (+1), while Iowa State (+2), Northwestern (+8) and UC Davis (+12) comprised the remainder of the top five in the 16-school field.
San Diego State will have nearly three weeks off before returning to action for the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 13-15, in Austin, Texas.
Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire InvitationalFinal ResultsUNM Championship CourseAlbuquerque, N.M.Par 73, 6,192 yards
Team Scores (Top 6 of 16 schools + SDSU)1. Pepperdine 290-291-284--865 (-11)2. Oregon 299-286-292--877 (+1)3. Iowa State 297-292-289--878 (+2)4. Northwestern 296-293-295--884 (+8)5. UC Davis 300-288-300--888 (+12)6. San Diego State 303-298-294--895 (+19)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 90 individuals + SDSU)1. Cassy Isagawa, Oregon 70-68-69--207 (-12)2. Marissa Chow, Pepperdine 72-73-68--213 (-6)T3. Sirene Blair, SDSU 72-71-72--215 (-4)T3. Somin Lee, Pepperdine 70-72-73--215 (-4)5. Grace Na, Pepperdine 73-71-72--216 (-3)-----15. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 74-73-74--221 (+2)T31. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 77-77-72--226 (+7)T63. Shannon Lubar, SDSU 84-77-76--237 (+18)T63. Kristina Lynn, SDSU* 81-79-77--237 (+18)T65. Maureen Dunnagan, SDSU 80-79-79--238 (+19)
*-competed as an individual