Feb. 15, 2014
STANFORD, Calif. - The San Diego State women's golf team currently sits in a tie for 11th place after shooting a collective 21-over par 305 on Saturday during the first round of the 19th annual Peg Barnard Invitational at the par-71, 6,084-yard Stanford Golf Course.
The Aztecs and Colorado find themselves two shots behind Long Beach State for 10th place and five strokes in back of California and Oregon State, both of whom share the eighth spot heading into Sunday's final round.
SDSU was led by junior Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who ended the day in a nine-way logjam for 17th place after firing a 3-over 74. Spiranac offset five bogeys with 11 pars and two birdies to finish two shots ahead of freshman Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah), who posted a 76. Blair rebounded from a double-bogey on the par-5 No. 16 with a birdie on the 17th, but it wasn't enough to lift her out of a tie for 34th on a crowded leaderboard.
Meanwhile, fellow classmate Maria Fernanda Villegas (Ensenada, Mexico) earned her first collegiate start and finished in a tie for 42nd, one stroke in back of Blair with a 77. Villegas endured five bogeys over an eight-hole stretch before closing strong with three straight pars.
Also figuring in SDSU's score on Saturday was sophomore Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden), who landed in a tie for 49th with a 78. Henrikson seemed poised to overcome three bogeys on her front nine, carding three consecutive pars followed by a birdie on the par-3 No. 4, before an additional trio of bogeys and a double-bogey over her final seven holes sandbagged her momentum.
Rounding out the Aztec contingent was senior Maureen Dunnagan (Lexington, S.C.), who recorded an 84 to wind up in the 73rd position on Saturday.
Host Stanford finds itself perched atop the team standings after shooting a collective 3-over 287, four strokes ahead of second-place UC Davis (+7), while San Jose State (+8), Denver (+11) and Oregon (+12) round out the top five.
UNLV's Dana Finkelstein and Lucia Gutierrez of California are tied for the lead on the individual leaderboard after each carded a 2-under 69 during the first round.
San Diego State, ranked 37th in the latest Golfstat ratings, will wrap up competition at the Peg Barnard Invitational on Sunday with final-round action when it tees off with Long Beach State and Colorado in a shotgun start at 9 a.m. PT.
Peg Barnard InvitationalStanford Golf CourseStanford, Calif.Par 71, 6,084 yardsFirst Round Results
Team Results (Top 5 of 14 schools + SDSU)1. Stanford 287 (+3)2. UC Davis 291 (+7)3. San José State 292 (+8)4. Denver 295 (+11)5. Oregon 296 (+12)---T11. San Diego State 305 (+21)
Individual Results (Top 7 of 75 players + SDSU)T1. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 69 (-2)T1. Lucia Gutierrez, California 69 (-2)T3. Mariah Stackhouse, Stanford 70 (-1)T3. Casey Danielson, Stanford 70 (-1)T3. Cassy Isagawa, Oregon 70 (-1)T3. Lauren Sewell, Oregon State 70 (-1)T3. Rachelle Reali, San José State 70 (-1)----T17. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 74 (+3)T34. Sirene Blair, SDSU 76 (+5)T42. Maria Fernanda Villegas,SDSU 77 (+6)T49. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 78 (+7)73. Maureen Dunnagan, SDSU 84 (+13)