SDSU'S SARA KJELLKER TABBED MW WOMEN'S GOLFER OF THE WEEK

Aztec freshman collects second career weekly conference award

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

April 5, 2018 (San Diego) - San Diego State’s Sara Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) was named Mountain West Women’s Golfer of the Week, the league office announced Thursday. The Aztec freshman garnered her second career weekly conference accolade and the team’s third of the year following her effort at the Bruzzy Challenge, April 2-3, in Carrollton, Texas.

Competing in chilly and windy conditions, Kjellker tied for eighth with a combined 10-over-par 226 (76-74-76) in a tournament where none of the 80 golfers finished with an aggregate score below par at the par-72, 6,335-yard Maridoe Golf Club in suburban Dallas.

During the second round, Kjellker closed with seven straight pars en route to a 74, which compared favorably to the average individual score of 77.75. The native Swede followed with a 76 over the final 18 holes, and despite the seemingly inflated figure, still managed to climb two spots on the leaderboard, as the average individual score ballooned to 80.27.

In addition, Kjellker drained six birdies for the week and tied for fourth in scoring average on both par-3 (2.92) and par-4 holes (4.17), as SDSU finished seventh in the team standings. She also topped three golfers ranked among the Golfstat individual top 70, including No. 47 Connie Jaffrey of Kansas State, No. 48 Brigitte Dunne of SMU and No. 69 Chayanit Wangmahaporn of Iowa State.

With her performance, Kjellker netted her fourth top-10 placement of the season and third of the spring. She leads the Scarlet and Black with a 74.82 scoring average, which ranks third among MW freshmen, and has completed five rounds at or below par this year.

On March 26, Kjellker tied for third during the stroke-play phase of the SDSU March Mayhem at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, matching her season-best with a 71.

Kjellker and the Aztecs return to action for the Mountain West Championship, April 16-18, at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.