Oct. 28, 2014
BOULDER CITY, Nev. - The 22nd-ranked San Diego State women's golf team captured its second tournament title of the season on Tuesday after tying Minnesota for the top spot at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. Collectively, the Aztecs posted their second straight 291 during the final round for a 54-hole score of 1-under-par 863 at the par-72, 6,277-yard Boulder Creek Golf Club.
SDSU entered the day with 10-stroke advantage atop the 18-school field, but could not prevent a furious rally by a hard-charging Gopher squad that shot a blistering 10-under 278 over the final 18 holes to claim a share of the championship. In addition, host UNLV carded a 284 to grab the third spot at 4-over 868, while UC Riverside (+11) and San José State (+13) rounded out the top five.
The Aztecs' Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.), who topped the individual leaderboard through the first two rounds, was also unable to maintain her lofty perch, ultimately slipping into second place following a 77 on Tuesday. After draining a combined 14 birdies over the first two days, the SDSU freshman recorded just one during the final round against six bogeys to complete the tournament at 6-under 210. Despite the misfortune, Krause logged the Aztecs' sixth top-five finish of the season in just her second varsity start.
UNLV's Dana Finkelstein captured medalist honors by three strokes over Krause after firing a 65 over the final 18 holes for a three-day total of 9-under 207, while Celia Kuenster of Minnesota (-4) placed third, followed closely by Fresno State's Madchen Ly (-3) and Brittani Ferraro of UC Riverside (-3), who tied for fourth.
In addition, Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) was the only other Aztec starter to finish among the top 20, tying for the 15th spot at 3-over 219 after shooting a 74 on Tuesday. The SDSU junior found herself at 1-under for the round after offsetting three bogeys with four birdies, including a successful make on the par-4, 398-yard No. 9, which played as the most difficult hole of the day. However, Henrikson had her momentum snuffed out on the final two holes, where a bogey and double-bogey knocked her out of the top 10.
Nevertheless, the Aztecs were able to remain in contention thanks to valuable contributions by freshman Mila Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay) and senior Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Chaves, who began the day in a tie for 76th, saved her best for last, posting the Aztecs' best score of the final round with a 69 to catapult an additional 27 places into the 49th position at 9-over 225. The native Paraguayan sank a team-high six birdies against three bogeys en route to her lowest round in a Scarlet and Black uniform so far this season. Meanwhile, Spiranac shook off the sting of a second-round disqualification to card a 73 on Tuesday, highlighted by three birdies.
Elsewhere, defending tournament champion Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) tied for the 25th spot with a combined 5-over 221 after carding a final-round 75. The SDSU sophomore got off to a rocky start with three bogeys and a double-bogey on her first seven holes before finishing strong with 11 pars and one birdie.
The Aztecs were also represented by freshman Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), an unattached golfer who tied for 11th at 1-over 217 following her second straight 72. Lacey offset five bogeys with five birdies on the day, including back-to-back conversions at Nos. 3-4.
With its fall schedule complete, San Diego State will now have over three months off before returning to action next spring at the UC Irvine Invitational, Feb. 23-24, 2015, at Santa Ana Country Club in Orange County.
Las Vegas Collegiate ShowdownFinal ResultsBoulder Creek G.C.Boulder City, Nev.Par 72, 6,277 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 18 teams)T1. San Diego State 281-291-291--863 (-1)T1. Minnesota 295-290-278--863 (-1)3. UNLV 289-295-284--868 (+4)4. UC Riverside 287-295-293--875 (+11)5. San José State 297-292-288--877 (+13)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 96 players + SDSU)1. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 69-73-65--207 (-9)2. Haleigh Krause, SDSU 65-68-77--210 (-6)3. Celia Kuenster, Minnesota 76-68-68--212 (-4)T4. Madchen Ly, Fresno State 71-75-67--213 (-3)T4. Brittani Ferraro, UC Riverside 70-69-74--213 (-3)----T11. Georgia Lacey, SDSU* 73-72-72--217 (+1)T15. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 70-75-74--219 (+3)T25. Sirene Blair, SDSU 73-73-75--221 (+5)T49. Mila Chaves, SDSU 81-75-69--225 (+9)T95. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 73-DQ-73--146
* - competed as an individual