Sept. 15, 2014
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The San Diego State women's golf team finds itself in eighth place at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational after play was suspended on Monday toward the end of the second round due to severe weather. Collectively, the Aztecs sit at 16-over par and are one of six teams in the 16-school field to finish at least 32 holes on the day.
Individually, Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) is currently tied for fifth place with four other golfers at 1-under. The SDSU sophomore fired an opening-round 72, offsetting a trio of bogeys on the front nine with four birdies, including three after the turn. In the afternoon session, she notched an additional quartet of birdies, including back-to-back conversions at Nos. 14-15, until an untimely bogey on the par-4, 17th stalled her momentum. Unfazed, Blair followed with a par-5 on No. 18 before competition was halted with four holes remaining in her round on the par-73, 6,192-yard UNM Championship Course.
With her performance, Blair trails co-leaders Suc Tangkamolpresart of Northwestern (-6) and UNLV's Dana Finkelstein (-6) by five shots heading into Tuesday's finish, while another Wildcat player, Hannah Kim (-2) is tied for third along with Marissa Chow of Pepperdine (-2).
Elsewhere, SDSU's Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) occupies the 20th position at 3-over par with three holes to play in round two. The Aztec senior carded a 76 during the morning before opening with seven pars and third birdies over her first 10 holes in the second round. However, Spiranac had her progress derailed somewhat by three bogeys on the back nine just before rain and hail struck the area.
Meanwhile, Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden), who is coming off a medalist performance last week at Colorado State's Ptarmigan Ram Classic, remains in 30th place, two shots in back of Spiranac at 5-over. The SDSU junior shot a frustrating 77 in the opening round, notching one birdie against five bogeys. After starting with two additional bogeys in her first three holes in the afternoon, Henrikson got into a rhythm, recording nine pars, two birdies and a bogeys over what would be her final 12 holes of the day.
Rounding out the Aztec starting lineup are freshmen Mila Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay), who is tied for 58th at 9-over, and Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), who finds herself in 90th at 18-over. In addition, Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.), who is making her SDSU debut this week as an individual competitor, remains tied for the 58th spot with a combined 9-over as well.
In the team standings, Northwestern (-5) owned a three-stroke advantage over UNLV (-2) at the stoppage of play, while UC Davis (E) landed in the third spot.
The Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational will resume on Tuesday with the completion of the second round, beginning at 7:45 a.m. MT/6:45 a.m. PT, to be followed by the regularly scheduled final 18 holes.
Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire InvitationalDay One ResultsUNM Championship CourseAlbuquerque, N.M.Par 73, 6,192 yards(Second round suspended due to severe weather)
Team Standings (Top 6 of 16 schools + SDSU)1. Northwestern (-5) (thru 12-15)2. UNLV (-2) (thru 13-16)3. UC Davis (E) (thru 14-16)4. California (+11) (thru 13-16)T5. Gonzaga (+12) (thru 13-16)T5. Oklahoma State (+12) (thru 12-15)-----8. San Diego State (+16) (thru 14-16)
Individual Leaders (Top 9 of 93 individuals + SDSU)T1. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV (-6) (thru 14)T1. Suc Tangkamolprasert, Northwestern (-6) (thru 15)T3. Hannah Kim, Northwestern (-2) (thru 15)T3. Marissa Chow, Pepperdine (-2) (thru 15)T5. Sirene Blair, SDSU (-1) (thru (14)T5. Harley Dubsky, UNLV (-1) (thru (15)T5. Blair Lewis, UC Davis (-1) (thru (16)T5. Julie Yang, Oklahoma State (-1) (thru (15)T5. Andrea Wong, UC Davis (-1) (thru (15)-----T20. Paige Spiranac, SDSU (+3) (thru 15)T30. Emma Henrikson, SDSU (+5) (thru 15)T58. Mila Chaves, SDSU (+9) (thru 15)T58. Haleigh Krause, SDSU* (+9) (thru 14)90. Georgia Lacey, SDSU (+18 (thru 15)
* - competing as an individual