Women's Golf Captures Mountain West Championship

Updated Tuesday, April 28: The Aztecs will compete in the St. George Regional of the NCAA Golf Tournament, May 7-9, at the Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club in St. George, Utah. SDSU earned the No. 7 seed after securing its fifth NCAA regional appearance in the last six years and 12th overall since the regional format was adopted in 1993.

The Aztecs finished the three-day, 54-hole event with a combined 12-over 876, topping New Mexico (+17) by five strokes on the par-72, 6,291-yard Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

“Bringing the conference championship trophy home to San Diego State for the first time ever in women’s golf is an incredible honor,” said fourth-year Aztec head coach Leslie Spalding. “This team is capable of accomplishing many great things, and today they proved it.  They will always be the first conference champions in women’s golf at SDSU, and their legacy will last forever.”

Champions

The Aztecs boasted three players in the top 15 on the individual leaderboard, led by Mila Chaves (Asunción, Paraguay), who tied for the top spot in regulation with New Mexico’s Manon Molle at 4-under 210, before falling on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Chaves entered the day with a three-shot advantage over her Molle, but was unable to avoid a playoff after carding a 70, while her UNM counterpart posted the field’s final-round low of 67. The SDSU freshman carded five birdies against three bogeys, but Molle closed the gap with a spot-free day, draining five birdies of her own to go with 13 pars.  

The two golfers returned to the 18th hole for the sudden-death playoff, where Molle sank a birdie putt to claim medalist honors, while Chaves made par.

Despite the unfavorable outcome, Chaves still established an Aztec record for lowest 54-hole score in a conference tournament, eclipsing Jenna Wilson’s total of 215 set in 2004 at Sunriver, Oregon. In addition, the native Paraguayan matched SDSU’s highest finish at the event after Christine Wong tied for first as well in 2012 at Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Not to be outdone, Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) posted her second straight top-five performance at the MW Championship after tying for the fourth position with a collective 1-over 217. Henrikson, who landed in the runner-up spot a year ago, equaled Chaves’ effort with a 70 of her own on Wednesday, highlighted by three birdies, including the Aztecs’ lone conversions of the day at Nos. 12 and 18, which ranked among the toughest holes of the final round. With her effort, the SDSU junior finished seven strokes in back of the leaders with San José State’s Megan Osland, one shot behind Dana Finkelstein of UNLV (E), who wound up in the third spot.

Meanwhile, Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) tied for 14th at 9-over 225 after firing a 76 over the final 18 holes. The Aztec senior captain was 4-over at the turn on Wednesday, but played even par on the back nine, offsetting two bogeys with a pair of birdies, including a crucial make on the par-4, 351-yard No. 15, which played as the third-most difficult hole of the final round.

Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) also figured in SDSU’s final tally, saving her best round for last with a 71. The Aztec sophomore, who endured a sluggish start with atypical scores of 84 and 81 over her first 36 holes, found her rhythm on Wednesday, carding two birdies compared to just one bogey. Blair reeled off 12 consecutive pars during one stretch to climb nine places into 34th at 20-over 236.

Rounding out the Aztec delegation was freshman Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), who posted a final-round 78 to finish the championship in a tie for 24th at 15-over 231. The Torrey Pines High alumnus was plagued by eight bogeys, but managed to finish relatively strong with a pair of birdies on her final three holes in her first conference tournament action.

“Mila played great golf today and so did Emma,” Spalding said. “The resiliency of Sirene to play very poorly in the beginning and finish under par in the final round is also something very special. I am so proud of this team.”

On to NCAA

With its MW title, SDSU clinched the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals, scheduled for May 7 through 9, at four different venues.  In addition, the Aztec athletic department has now won six team championships during the 2014-15 academic year.

The Aztecs have earned a 6 seed and will play at The Course at Yale in Newhaven, Connecticut beginning May 17.