RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – Sara Kjellker tied for second Tuesday to lead the San Diego State women's golf team on the final day of the Lamkin Invitational at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The Aztecs ended up finishing in a tie for fourth out of 11 teams on the par-72, 6,318-yard layout in their first competition since March 10-11, 2020.
Paired with UCLA's Emma Spitz (No. 18 in World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR)) and USC's Allisen Corpuz (No. 22) for all three rounds, and entering the final day each tied for the lead at 4-under-par, Kjellker, Spitz and Corpuz continued their battle over the third round. With neither competitor leading by more than two strokes throughout the final round, Kjellker found herself with a one-shot lead on each player with two holes to play. On the par-4, 417-yard 17th hole, Kjellker and Spitz each finished with a par, but Corpuz came up with a birdies to tie for the lead. All three then had good looks at birdie on the par-5, 474-yard 18th. Spitz made her birdie putt, but Kjellker just missed her attempt before tapping in for par. Corpuz, however, knocked in her putt to give her the one-shot victory and medalist honors.
With the final round playing to a scoring average of 79.79 for the field, Kjellker finished with a 3-over-par 75 for a 54-hole score of 1-under 215. Kjellker, who finished with the best stroke average on par 4s over the week (3.90), logged birdies on the par-5, 510-yard 12th and the par-4, 381-yard 13th, but couldn't overcome five bogeys, including two crucial ones down the stretch. Still, the second-place finish matched the best of her career (also tied for second at the 2019 Mountain West Championship).
Rounding out the top five behind Corpuz (-2), Kjellker (-1) and Spitz (-1), was New Mexico's Napat Lertsadwattana (+3) in fourth, and Arizona's Therese Warner (+4) and Colorado's Malak Bouraeda (+4) in a tie for fifth.
As a team, SDSU slipped one place from third to a tie for fourth with Colorado on the final day, finishing at 46-over 910 after a final-round 316 (+28). USC won a record sixth Lamkin Invitational at +16, while TCU and UCLA tied for second at +40.
A pair of freshmen made their collegiate debut a good one as Andrea Gomez and Anna Lina Otten finished in a tie for 18th and 22nd, respectively. Gomez grinded out an 8-over 80 to finish at 13-over 229 with three others. After posting back-to-back 73s yesterday, Otten shot an 84 today and finished at 230 (+14) as an individual.
Bernice Ilas had an 81 today to finish in a tie for 27th at +16, while Ella Adams tied for 34th overall at +21 after an 83 in the final round.
April Ranches carded an 80 to tie for 41st at +25 and Samantha Lee tied for 54th at +40 following an 82 today while competing as an individual.
The Aztecs will compete at the Bruin Wave Invitational at The Saticoy Club, March 1-3, in Somis, Calif.
Lamkin Invitational
Rancho San Diego, Calif.
Complete Results
The Farms Golf Club
Par 72, 6,318 yards
Team Standings (Top 5 of 11 teams)
1. USC…295-290-295—880 (+16)
T2. TCU…299-299-306—904 (+40)
T2. UCLA…302-289-313—904 (+40)
T4. San Diego State…301-293-316—910 (+46)
T4. Colorado…301-295-314—910 (+46)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 60 players + SDSU)
1. Allisen Corpuz, USC…71-69-74—214 (-2)
T2. Sara Kjellker, San Diego State…74-66-75—215 (-1)
T2. Emma Spitz, UCLA…70-70-75—215 (-1)
4. Napat Lertsadwattana, New Mexico…73-70-76—219 (+3)
T5. Malak Bouraeda, Colorado…75-66-79—220 (+4)
T5. Therese Warner, Arizona^…72-72-76—220 (+4)
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T18. Andrea Gomez, San Diego State…75-74-80—229 (+13)
T22. Anna Lina Otten, San Diego State^…73-73-84—230 (+14)
T27. Bernice Ilas, San Diego State…73-78-81—232 (+16)
T34. Ella Adams, San Diego State…79-75-83—237 (+21)
T41. April Ranches, San Diego State…83-78-80—241 (+25)
T54. Sammy Lee, San Diego State…91-83-82—256 (+40)
^ - competing as an individual
Sara Kjellker Ties for Second at Lamkin Invite
