May 7, 2015
Round One Results in PDF Format | Live Results
ST. GEORGE, Utah - The San Diego State women's golf team finds itself in a tie for 12th place with Denver after shooting a combined 31-over-par 315 on Thursday during the opening round of the 2015 NCAA St. George Regional at a wind-swept Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club.
With their total, the Aztecs remain 10 strokes behind sixth-place New Mexico State as the top six squads and three low individuals not on those teams advance out of regional competition into the NCAA championship series, May 22-27, in Bradenton, Fla.
Individually, the Aztecs' lowest score of the day belonged to Mila Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay), who completed the first 18 holes in a seven-way tie for 32nd after firing a 6-over 77. Despite finishing the round without a birdie, the SDSU freshman tied for second in the field with a team-high 13 pars, including six straight on holes 9-14.
In addition, Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) and Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) sit two shots in back of Chaves in a tie for 48th after each fired a 79 on the par-71, 6,255-yard course layout. Henrikson recorded just one bogey on the front nine, draining a birdie on the par-4, 411-yard No. 1, which ranked as the sixth-toughest hole of the opening round, before notching pars on eight of the next nine greens. However, the Aztec junior experienced difficulty after the turn, posting four bogeys and a pair of double bogeys on her final eight holes.
Similarly, Blair struggled down the stretch after sitting even through 12 holes. The SDSU sophomore, who returned to her home state for the first time as a collegiate competitor, offset two early bogeys with a birdie conversions on a pair of par-4s, the 6th and 10th. Then after two consecutive pars, Blair found her momentum short-circuited by a tough five-hole stretch, with a bogey-triple bogey-par sequence sandwiched by double bogeys at Nos. 13 and 17.
Elsewhere, senior Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished the day in a tie for 61st after carding an opening-round 80. Despite sinking two birdies, including an impressive make on the par-4, 332-yard 17th, which ranked as the fourth-most difficult hole of the round, the Aztec captain was plagued by inconsistency throughout, suffering six bogeys along with a double bogey at No. 6 and an unfortunate triple on the eighth.
The SDSU lineup also included Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), who landed in a tie for the 74th position with six other golfers after logging an 82 in her NCAA debut. The Aztec freshman rebounded with seven consecutive pars after a notching two double bogeys on her first five holes. However, five bogeys on her final six greens stymied her progress.
Top-ranked USC posted a 9-over 293 on Thursday to take a four-shot advantage over California (+13) in the team standings, while UNLV (+17), Wisconsin (+19) and Stanford (+20) are also in the thick of the chase heading into the second round.
Pauline Loulier of Cal (-3), who was the lone golfer to break par in the opening round, grabbed a two-stroke lead on the individual leaderboard over Washington State's unattached golfer Alivia Brown (E) and Karen Chung of USC (E), while five players ended the day in a tie for fourth at 1-over.
The second round of the St. George Regional gets underway Friday, with the Aztecs slated to tee off alongside Middle Tennessee State and TCU on the 10th hole, beginning at 8 a.m. MT/7 a.m. PT.
2015 NCAA St. George RegionalRound One ResultsEntrada at Snow Canyon C.C.St. George, UtahPar 71, 6,255 yards
Team Scores (Top 11 of 18 schools + SDSU)1. USC 293 (+9)2. California 297 (+13)3. UNLV 301 (+17)4. Wisconsin 303 (+19)5. Stanford 304 (+20)6. New Mexico State 305 (+21)7. Arkansas 306 (+22)T8. Virginia 308 (+24)T8. SMU 308 (+24)T10. TCU 313 (+29)T10. Middle Tennessee State 313 (+29)---T12. San Diego State 315 (+31)
Individual Leaders (Top 8 of 96 players + SDSU)1. Pauline Loulier, California 68 (-3)T2. Alivia Brown, Washington State* 71 (E)T2. Karen Chung, USC 71 (E)T4. Annie Park, USC 72 (+1)T4. Megan McLaren, Florida International* 72 (+1)T4. Casey Danielson, Stanford 72 (+1)T4. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 72 (+1)T4. Brooke Ferrell, Wisconsin 72 (+1)---T32. Mila Chaves, SDSU 77 (+6)T48. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 79 (+8)T48. Sirene Blair, SDSU 79 (+8)T61. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 80 (+9)T74. Georgia Lacey, SDSU 82 (+11)
* - competing as an individual