SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – San Diego State's Gioia Carpinelli (Boppelsen, Switzerland) and Fernanda Escauriza (Asunción, Paraguay) tied for third place at the Bruin Wave Invitational on Tuesday after each fired a 4-over-par 76 during the final round at San Luis Obispo Country Club.
With their cards, the Aztec teammates jumped two places from the previous day, finishing at 8-over 224 in their spring debut, four strokes behind medalist Olivia Mehaffey of Arizona State (+4), who held off Oregon's Petra Salko (+5) for the individual crown. Sharing the third spot with Carpinelli and Escauriza were Mariel Galdiano and Phoebe Yue of UCLA, as well as Stanford's Mika Liu.
Despite the lofty placements, however, SDSU was unable to make a move in the team standings, remaining in the sixth position after shooting a final-round 21-over 309 on the par-72, 6,266-yard course layout, completing the tournament at 50-over 914.
Stanford (+31) edged Oregon (+34) for the team title, followed closely by third-place Arizona State (+35), while UCLA (+39) and Northwestern (+41) rounded out the top five.
Individually for the Scarlet and Black, Escauriza played spot-free golf over the first 10 holes, carding her lone birdie of the day at the par-5, 493-yard No. 5. However, the Aztec junior endured a rough stretch on the back nine, posting five bogeys over a six-hole span, before finishing with two straight pars. Despite the hiccups, Escauriza still managed her second-highest placement in an SDSU uniform.
Conversely, Carpinelli began the final round slowly, enduring four bogeys on the front nine before sinking a birdie on the par-5, 471-yard No. 10. The Aztec sophomore witnessed an additional bogey on the par-3 14th but closed with four straight pars for her second-best finish of the year and third-highest as a collegian.
Similarly, Sara Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) was plagued by a rash of early bogeys, including five straight just before the turn. The SDSU sophomore rebounded somewhat with seven pars on the back, but a dearth of birdies forced her to settle for an uncharacteristic 80, which hastened her drop of 18 places into a tie for 39th at 16-over 232.
Elsewhere, Kitty Tam (Hong Kong, China) finished two shots behind Kjellker in a tie for 48th at 18-over 234 after recording her second straight 77. The Aztec senior drained birdies at No. 10 as well as the par-4, 366-yard No. 12, however, seven bogeys prevented a higher perch.
Rounding out the SDSU delegation was freshman April Ranches (San Diego, Calif.), who shot an 81 to tie for 76th at 34-over 250 in her first varsity start as an Aztec. Despite a lack of birdies on her scorecard, the Serra High product still posted her lowest round of the week thanks to 12 pars, including seven after the turn.
Just two players in the field of 78 golfers broke par on Tuesday, as Washington's Alice Duan fired a 70, while Stanford's Andrea Lee carded a 71. Including Escauriza's opening-round 71, just eight individuals posted a red figure during the week.
San Diego State returns to the fairways in two weeks when it competes in the Wildcat Invitational, March 11-12, at Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz.
Bruin Wave Invitational
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Final Results
San Luis Obispo C.C.
Par 72, 6,266 yards
Team Standings (Top 6 of 15 teams)
1. Stanford...299-300-296—895 (+31)
2. Oregon...296-299-303—898 (+34)
3. Arizona State...308-291-298—899 (+35)
2. UCLA...298-301-304—903 (+39)
5. Northwestern...295-306-304—905 (+41)
6. San Diego State...302-303-309—914 (+50)
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 78 players + SDSU)
1. Olivia Mehaffey, Arizona State...76-71-73—220 (+4)
2. Petra Salko, Oregon...73-73-75—221 (+5)
T3. Gioia Carpinelli, SDSU...76-72-76—224 (+8)
T3. Fernanda Escauriza, SDSU...71-77-76—224 (+8)
T3. Mariel Galdiano, UCLA...74-75-75—224 (+8)
T3. Mika Liu, Stanford...74-74-76—224 (+8)
T3. Phoebe Yue, UCLA...75-76-73—224 (+8)
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T39. Sara Kjellker, SDSU...75-77-80—232 (+16)
T48. Kitty Tam, SDSU...80-77-77—234 (+18)
T76. April Ranches, SDSU...84-85-81—250 (+34)
Two Aztecs Tie for Third at Bruin Wave Invite
