Feb. 24, 2017
SAN DIEGO ââ'¬" The 27th-ranked San Diego State women's golf team resumes its spring schedule next week when it ventures to the Central Coast for the eighth annual Bruin Wave Invitational, Feb. 27-28, in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The first two rounds of the 54-hole event will commence on Monday with an 8 a.m. PT shotgun start at the par-72, 6,323-yard San Luis Obispo Country Club, while the final 18 holes are scheduled for completion on Tuesday with tee times off holes 1 and 10 as early as 7:45 a.m. A live scoring link for all three rounds will be available on GoAztecs.com courtesy of Golfstat.
The Aztecs are among nine schools in the elite 14-team field ranked among the Golfstat top 60 this week. Along with tournament co-hosts UCLA (No. 9) and Pepperdine (No. 36), San Diego State will battle top-ranked Stanford and No. 2 USC, as well as California (No. 26), Colorado (No. 37), Denver (No. 53) and Washington (No. 54). In addition, the Aztecs will be afforded an early look at Mountain West rival New Mexico, while Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge and San Francisco round out the list of participating squads.
Sixth-year head coach Leslie Spalding will utilize the starting lineup of senior Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah), juniors Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.) and Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.), along with senior Natalie Vivaldi (Oceanside, Calif.) and freshman Fernanda Escauriza (Asunción, Paraguay).
Earlier this month, Blair was the SDSU's top golfer in the team's spring opener at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., where she tied for seventh after carding a 2-under-par 214 in a stacked tournament that featured 12 teams ranked in the Golfstat top 30. The three-time all-conference performer posted the third-lowest 18-hole score in program history during the second round with a 66, highlighted by eight birdies.
For the season, Blair leads the Scarlet and Black with a 71.46 scoring average through five events, including a team-high seven rounds below par. In addition to her performance at the Northrop Grumman Challenge, the three-time all-conference honoree established the school record for lowest 18-hole score last September after shooting an 8-under 64 during the second round of the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, where finished a solo second with a program-best 13-under 203.
With her effort, Blair climbed 19 places into the 38th position in the latest Golfstat Cup standings, while Lacey is listed at No. 82. A quick glance at the most recent Golfweek rankings finds Blair in the 49th spot, while Lacey checks in at No. 55.
The Aztecs landed in a tie for fourth place with Oklahoma State at the Bruin Wave Invitational last season after posting a combined 25-over 889. Lacey, who tied for eighth at the tournament a year ago with a 2-over 218, is SDSU's top returner, followed by Blair (T-24th, +12). Vivaldi, who will be making her first start of the spring next week, appeared at the Bruin Wave Invite on two previous occasions in 2014 (42nd, +18) and 2015 (T-58th, +25), when she competed for Colorado. The Rancho Buena Vista High alumna, was the Aztecs' No. 1 player at the Golfweek Conference Challenge last September, where she tied for fifth after carding a 2-under 214 to help the Scarlet and Black defend its team title.
The Bruin Wave Invitational will be contested in San Luis Obispo for the second straight season following a four-year run at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana from 2012-15. The Aztecs boasted the individual winner in 2012 when Christine Wong captured medalist honors with a combined 3-over 219. In 2010 and 2011, the event was conducted at Robinson Ranch Golf Club in Santa Clarita.
UCLA will be looking to defend its team title from a year ago after posting a collective 4-over 868 to easily outdistance runner-up Arizona State by 14 strokes. The Bruins also sported the top two individuals, with Louise Ridderstrom defeating Bronte Law on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. However, both players have completed their eligibility, leaving another UCLA golfer, Lilia Vu, and Cal's Lucia Gutierrez as the top two returners from last season's event after both tied for fifth at 1-over 217.
Following the Bruin Wave Invitational, the Aztecs will trek north once again to the Bay Area for the University of San Francisco's Meadow Club Intercollegiate, March 6-7, in Fairfax, Calif.