Aztecs Open Season in New Mexico

SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's golf team will kick off their 2022-23 season on Monday in Albuquerque, N.M. when they compete in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico's Championship Course.

This will be the seventh consecutive season SDSU has opened its fall slate at this tournament. The Aztecs finished fourth last year behind top-12 performances from Sara Kjellker (214, -2) and Bernice Olivarez Ilas (215, -3).

Teams will play 36 holes Monday beginning with a 6:30 a.m. PT shotgun start and then play the final 18 on Tuesday, also with a 6:30 a.m. PT shotgun start.

The 17-team field features three teams listed in the Golf Channel's preseason top 35 (No. 4 USC, No. 30 Ohio State and No. 31 Texas tech and four Mountain West schools (Fresno State, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV). Other teams competing are Cal Poly, Denver, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, North Carolina, Northwestern and SMU.

Head coach Lauren Dobashi (2nd season) will use the of Anna Lina Otten (Neuss, Germany), Anika Sato (Utsunomiya, Japan), Bernice Olivarez Ilas (Ayala Alabang, Philippines), April Ranches (San Diego, Calif.) and Sammy Lee (San Ramon, Calif.).

Otten, Sato and Olivarez Ilas started for the Aztecs in every tournament last year. Otten had a stroke average of 76.4 last year and recorded three rounds of par or better.

Sato had a phenomenal freshman campaign, averaging 74.9 strokes per 18, had three top 20 finishes, and six rounds under par.
Olivarez Ilas is SDSU's top returner. She qualified for the NCAA Tournament as an individual and was second on the team in stroke average (74.3), rounds below par (7) and top-20 finishes (4).

Ranches returned for a fifth year. She played in just one tournament last year but has logged 17 tournaments and 49 rounds in her career.
Lee, also a senior, has played in four tournaments in her career and has a career best round of 73.

This is the 44th annual Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational and the 67th time New Mexico has hosted a women's tournament. The UNM Championship course is par 72 and has a yardage of 6,354 yards.