AURORA, Ore. - Gonzaga University's women's golf team got back on track Monday and the result leaves the Bulldogs in fourth place after 36 holes of the Rose City Collegiate being played at the 6,080-yard, par 72 Langdon Farms Golf Club.
The Bulldogs trail fellow West Coast Conference foe University of San Francisco by three strokes for third place, with Long Beach State University (597) holding a 10-stroke lead over Fresno State University heading into Tuesday's final round.
The opening round was played in cool, damp and still conditions, but winds gusting to as much as 30 or 40 mph picked up during the afternoon second round.
Victoria Fallgren shot 74-77 for a 36-hole total of 151 to leave her tied for seventh, while Han Wu recovered from an opening-round 79 to shoot a 74 in the second round and is tied for 16th at 153. Fallgren and Wu were the only two Bulldogs to stay out of the 80s as the afternoon conditions definitely impacted most scores.
Head coach Brad Rickel, disappointed with the way his team had played on the first day in the two previous tournaments this season, was more upbeat after Monday's play.
"We had a better competitive spirit today," Rickel said. "We stuck with our game plan as the weather made it very difficult today. Victoria's opening-round 74 was really good, and Han's 74 in the high winds in the afternoon was a great round."
Rochelle Chan of LBSU holds the individual lead, shooting a 6-under par 66 in the first round while no other player shot better than even par 72. Chan shot 76 in the second round, but still leads Seattle University's Caitlin McCleary by five strokes. McCleary, who won the season-opening Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational hosted by Gonzaga, shot 72-75 for a 147.
