SAN DIEGO – After more than three weeks off, the San Diego State women's golf team is back in action this weekend when they'll play in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at the University of Georgia Golf Club.
The 54-hole tournament will get underway Friday with 36 holes beginning with a 5:30 a.m. PT shotgun start. The Aztecs will play the first two rounds with Florida and Kansas State, starting on holes 7-9. This is the second consecutive year SDSU has played in this tournament.
San Diego State is the only school in the tournament's 16-team field from the Pacific time zone. There are five schools ranked in the top 25 (No. 10 Auburn, No. 15 Florida, No. 23 Virginia, No. 24 SMU, No. 25 Georgia) and another two in the top 50 (No. 35 Michigan and No. 37 Alabama). Other teams competing include Augusta, Charleston, Emory, Georgia Southern, Illinois, Kansas State, Missouri and NC State.
The Aztecs most recently played at the Juli Inkster at Meadow Club Invitational where they placed eighth out of 14 schools. The final round of the tournament was canceled due to poor weather. SDSU has risen 34 spots in the national rankings since the beginning of the spring season.
Head coach Lauren Dobashi (3rd season) will use the lineup of Anika Sato, Stephanie Barbaglia, Emma Narita, Anna Lina Otten and Andrea Gomez.
Sato (Utsunomiya, Japan) is coming off her best performance of the season after tying for 20th place (out of 75) with a one-over-par 145 at the Juli Inkster at Meadow Club Invitational. She shot a 74 and then a 71 and was trending toward another under-par round before the third round was canceled.
Barbaglia (Johannesburg, South Africa) tied with Sato for SDSU's best score in their last tournament. She has the team's best 18-hole average (75.1) in the spring and has finished in the top three among SDSU golfers in all seven tournaments.
Narita (Tokyo, Japan) has been the top Aztec finisher in four of SDSU's seven tournaments and leads SDSU with an 18-hole average of 74.1.
Otten (Neuss, Germany) will be making her 31st career start (out of 33). She has had an incredibly consistent senior season, shooting 76 or better in 17 of her 20 rounds.
Gomez (Huixquilucan, Mexico) is tied for second on the team with an 86.7 count percentage. Her career count percentage is 82.1% in 20 starts.
The tournament will be played on the University of Georgia Golf Course, which is 6,351 yards and plays as a par 72. Set on rolling terrain, it is widely regarded as one of the best university courses in the country.
The forecast for both days calls for clear skies with temperatures approaching 70 degrees.
Aztecs Playing in Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic
