SDSU WOMEN'S GOLF FINISHES FOURTH AT BRUIN WAVE INVITE

Aztecs’ Sara Kjellker and Mila Chaves land in the top 10 individually

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Mila Chaves was lone golfer to break par on Tuesday out of 83 competitors at the Bruin Wave Invite.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

February 27, 2018 (San Luis Obispo) - Buoyed by two top-10 individual placements, the San Diego State women’s golf team finished in fourth place at the Bruin Wave Invitational on Tuesday after posting a collective 15-over-par 303 during the final round at a chilly San Luis Obispo Country Club.

With their total, the Aztecs slipped one notch in the standings from the previous day, edging fifth-place Washington (+50) by one stroke on the par-72, 6,323-yard course layout, as the final round witness an hour-and-a-half delay due to morning frost.

USC (+32) claimed the team title by eight strokes over tournament co-host UCLA (+40), while Stanford (+42) followed closely in third on a day that saw individual scoring averages drop by 1.51 strokes (79.81-78.30) from the second round.

For the third straight tournament and the fourth time this season, Sara Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) was SDSU’s top finisher, tying for seventh at 10-over 226.  The Aztec freshman settled for a 77 on Tuesday, tumbling two places on the leaderboard, unable to overcome sting of six bogeys against one birdie recorded on the par-4, 375-yard No. 13.

Despite the hiccup, Kjellker still managed her second top-10 placement of the season, finishing 11 shots behind UCLA’s Lilia Vu, who captured medalist honors for the second year in a row, while Stanford’s Albane Valenzuela (+1) landed in the runner position, followed by USC’s Jennifer Chang (+6).

Mila Chaves (Asunción, Paraguay) fired SDSU’s low round of the week with a 71 over the final 18 holes to vault 15 places into a tie for ninth at 11-over 227. The Aztec senior got off to a rocky start with three straight bogeys but played spot-free golf the rest of the way, carding four birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the 10th and 11th greens. She also registered an impressive drain on the par-3, 161-yard No. 14, which ranked as the second-toughest hole of the week.

Conversely, Gioia Carpinelli (Boppelsen, Switzerland) experienced a dearth of birdies on Tuesday, dropping 11 places into the 21st position at 15-over 231 on the heels of a 79. Despite 12 pars, including six straight at one stretch on the back nine, the SDSU freshman was plagued by five bogeys and a double on the par-5 10th, which hastened her descent.

Elsewhere, senior Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.) shaved eight strokes off her previous round, posting a 76 to finish in a tie for 27th at 17-over 233. The Torrey Pines High product also found birdies elusive, but still registered a team-high 14 pars, including seven straight down the stretch, to help offset four bogeys.

Rounding out the Aztec delegation was fellow classmate Haleigh Krause (Eugene, Ore.), who slipped 10 spots into a tie for 40th at 20-over 236 in her first start of the spring. The native Oregonian was 7-over for that after making bogey on the 10th green, but righted the ship for the remainder of her round, posting a six pars and a birdie at No. 13 to finish with a 79.

San Diego State will have just over two weeks to prepare for itsinaugural appearance at the University of Iowa’s Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational, set for March 16-18, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Bruin Wave Invitational

Final Results

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

San Luis Obispo C.C.

Par 72, 6,323 yards

Team Standings (Top 5 of 16 teams)

1. USC                                                                               300-298-298—896 (+32)

2. UCLA                                                                             306-297-301—904 (+40)

3. Stanford                                                                       303-309-294—906 (+42)

4. San Diego State                                                           302-308-303—913 (+49)

5. Washington                                                                 308-306-300—914 (+50)

Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 83 players + SDSU)        

1. Lilia Vu, UCLA                                                               69-71-75—215 (-1)

2. Albane Valenzuela, Stanford                                      72-73-72—217 (+2)

3. Jennifer Chang, USC                                                    76-71-75—222 (+6)

T4. Mariel Galdiano, UCLA                                             77-70-74—224 (+8)

T4. Allisen Corpuz, Washington                                     73-77-74—224 (+8)

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T7. Sara Kjellker, SDSU                                                   76-73-77—226 (+10)

T9. Mila Chaves, SDSU                                                   76-80-71—227 (+12)

T21. Gioia Carpinelli, SDSU                                            77-75-79—231 (+15)

T27. Georgia Lacey, SDSU                                              73-84-76—233 (+17)

T40. Haleigh Krause, SDSU                                            77-80-79—236 (+20)

Final results