After an opening first round that saw the Cal State Northridge women’s golf team in fourth place, the Matadors carded a final round of 341 to fall into an eighth place finish at the Santa Clara Colby Classic at the West Course of the Rancho Canada Golf Course March 14-15.
“We did not recover from bad shots,” said head coach Bonnie Murphy. “The weather was bad on the second day, which was a reason we did not score well.”
Murphy said that the majority of the players expressed frustration with the condition of the course, especially the greens.
“There was water everywhere,” Murphy said. “It probably should have been cancelled.”
Sophomore Jennifer Yoo was the only Matador to finish in the top 20. Yoo shot an opening round 76, which was good for eighth place. On the second day, however, Yoo shot an 82 to finish tied for 14th place at 158 (+16).
Sophomore Katrina Sutton shot an opening round 79 but also struggled in the second round, shooting an 86 and finished tied for 30 at 165 (+30).
Sophomore Lucy Davis shot an 84 for the opening round and an 85 during the second round to finish tied for 38 at 169 (+27).
Junior Jasmine Koehler carded rounds of 83 and 88 to finish tied for 43 at 171 (+29).
Sophomore Jameliz Torres had an opening round 84 and a second round 90.
Carin Ernby, who competed as an individual, finished with back-to-back rounds of 90 to place 62nd at 180 (+38).
Pepperdine took the lead in the opening round and never looked back as it ended with a team round of 300 for the tournament title.
The Waves’ Eileen Vargas took the individual title as Pepperdine claimed seven of the top ten slots on the leaderboard.
UC Riverside came in second place with a 313 first round and a 319 second day to finish at 632. The Highlanders were followed by Santa Clara at 634 and Sacramento State at 647. CSUN had an overall score of 663.
Next up for the Matadors will be the Matador Spring Invitational at Knowllwood Country Club in Granada Hills April 3-4.
As a team, the Matadors have competed in five tournaments. The team is averaging 331 in its 14 rounds. 657 is CSUN’s low for a 36-hole round and 985 is the low for a 54-hole round.
Individually, Yoo has the team’s best average at 79. Her best finish for an 18-hole round is 72. Her best finish on a 36-hole round is 158, and on a 54-hole her best is 222. Yoo has finished in the top-10 once, including a tie for second at the Taylormade/Adidas Lady Aztec Invitational in Chula Vista Oct. 17-18. Yoo has also finished in the top 20 twice.
Koehler is second on the team with an 83.2 average. Her best finish for an 18-hole round is 79. On a 36-hole round her low is 162, and on a 54-hole round, her best finish is 243.
As a team, the Matadors have finished eighth twice, once at the Lady Braveheart Classic while carded a 680, and once at the SCU Colby Classic while carding a 663.
“I have complete confidence in my team,” Murphy said. “Practice will be our main focus until our tournament in April.”
Justin Satzman can be reached at sports_sundial.csun.edu.
