WILMETTE, Ill. – San Diego State women's golfer Sara Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) shot an even-par 144 on Monday to lead the Aztecs during the first two rounds of the Windy City Collegiate Classic at Westmoreland Country Club in suburban Chicago.
Following an opening-round 75, the SDSU sophomore matched her season-best with a 3-under 69 in the afternoon to climb 21 places into a four-way tie for 12th on the individual leaderboard.
As a team, the Aztecs ended the day tied with Michigan for the 12th spot after posting a 36-hole total of 33-over 609 on rounds of 307-302. With its result, SDSU trails 11th-place Colorado (+27) by six shots, while Iowa State (+26) occupies the 10th position heading into Tuesday's final round on the par-72, 6,360-yard course layout.
After logging just one birdie against four bogeys in the morning session on Monday, Kjellker rebounded with four strong conversions in the second round, including back-to-back drains on her back nine at par-3 No. 5 and the par-4 No. 6, the latter of which ranked as the sixth-toughest hole of the day. However, a bogey on her final green at the par-4 ninth prevented a steeper ascent.
With her effort, Kjellker finds herself nine strokes behind front-runner Gabriela Ruffels of USC (-9), while Raquel Olmos of Arizona State (-8) lurks closely in second, followed by Ohio State's Jaclyn Lee (-6), Duke's Jaravee Boonchant (-4) and Colorado's Robyn Choi (-3). Olmos made a hole-in-one on the par-3, 165-yard No. 13.
The rest of the Aztec contingent was unable to find its rhythm, including Fernanda Escauriza (Asunción, Paraguay), who registered a 7-over 151 on rounds of 76-75 to finish in the day in a tie for 39th. Among the highlights for the SDSU junior was a birdie just before the turn in the afternoon at the par-4, 370-yard No. 18, which ranked as the second-most difficult hole on Monday. Despite an additional conversion on the par-5 No. 8, Escauriza was unable to overcome the sting of six bogeys in the second round.
Gioia Carpinelli (Boppelsen, Switzerland) was also plagued by a rash of bogeys, landing in a tie for 51st after 36 holes with a combined 10-over 154. The Aztec sophomore could not recover from a rough stretch of four bogeys on the front nine of round one, settling for a 76 despite birdies on the No. 15 and No. 6 greens. Carpinelli regrouped with seven straight pars to open the afternoon session; however, a dearth of birdies coupled with six additional bogeys, including four after the turn, saddled her with a 78.
Elsewhere, Cameron Lee (Tustin, Calif.) finds herself alone in 67th at 16-over 160 after posting back-to-back rounds of 80 in her second start of the year. The SDSU sophomore was even after 11 holes in the first round, offsetting an earlier bogey with a birdie at the par-4, 350-yard No. 1, just after the turn. However, Lee had her momentum derailed with four bogeys and two doubles down the stretch and found birdies completely scarce in round two.
The Aztec lineup also features senior Daniela Anastasi (La Jolla, Calif.), who remains tied for 68th at 17-over 161 on rounds of 80-81. Like Lee, Anastasi made birdie after the turn at No. 1 in the morning session, but suffered a similar fate the rest of the round with a four bogeys and a double on the back nine.
Arizona (-1) grabbed a slim one-shot lead over USC (E) in the team standings, while defending tournament champion Arizona State (+1) sits in third, followed by Florida and Duke, which are tied for fourth at 9-over.
Hosted by Northwestern, the Windy City Collegiate Classic concludes on Tuesday when San Diego State tees off alongside Colorado and Iowa State, beginning at 7:48 a.m. CT/5:48 a.m. PT on hole No. 10.
Windy City Collegiate Classic
Day One Results
Wilmette, Ill.
Westmoreland C.C.
Par 72, 6,360 yards
Team Standings (Top 5 teams of 14 schools + SDSU)
1. Arizona...289-286—575 (-1)
2. USC...286-290—576 (E)
3. Arizona State...294-283—577 (+1)
T4. Florida...293-292—585 (+9)
T4. Duke...284-301—585 (+9)
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T12. San Diego State...307-302—609 (+33)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 78 players + SDSU)
1. Gabriela Ruffels, USC...69-66—135 (-9)
2. Raquel Olmos, Arizona State...70-66—136 (-8)
3. Jaclyn Lee, Ohio State...72-66—138 (-6)
4. Jaravee, Boonchant, Duke...68-72—140 (-4)
5. Robyn Choi, Colorado...72-69—141 (-3)
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T12. Sara Kjellker, SDSU...75-69—144 (E)
T39. Fernanda Escauriza, SDSU...76-75—151 (+7)
T51. Gioia Carpinelli, SDSU...76-78—154 (+10)
67. Cameron Lee, SDSU...80-80—160 (+16)
T68. Daniela Anastasi, SDSU...80-81—161 (+17)
Sara Kjellker Leads W. Golf On Day One in Chicago
