Women's Golf Battles Back To Win Cal Poly Invitational
10/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. - Gonzaga University's women's golf team, down 11 shots heading into Tuesday's final round of the Lamkin Grip Cal Poly Invitational, responded with a flawless performance Tuesday to capture the title with a final-round 297 for a 36-hole score of 609.
Victoria Fallgren and Raychelle Santos each shot even-par 73 and Alice Kim fired a 1-under par 72 to lead the Bulldogs charge to first place.
The victory came on the heels of perhaps the most disappointing round of the fall season as the Bulldogs shot 312 for Monday's round and found themselves in sixth place, 11 shots behind Northern Arizona University.
"I think we had a heart-to-heart with our team and decided we didn't want to go about our business like we did the first day," a delighted head coach Brad Rickel said following the amazing comeback. "If we're going to a golf tournament we need to show up with the right mindset. Everybody showed up that way today. They were focused, positive and intent on shooting good scores."
But the final outcome still caught the Zags somewhat by surprise.
"To be honest, it's surprising we won. I knew we had a good round and felt good about it. I knew we were going to move up. But I was surprised we could come back from that far down," Rickel admitted.
Rickel said he could not remember such a comeback in his 15 years of collegiate coaching at Gonzaga and the University of Idaho.
"Victoria, Raychelle and Alice were as solid as they could be in their approach to playing tournament golf. From the get go they did everything you have to do so shoot a good score - mentally, emotionally and physically. It was a flawless performance."
Fallgren finished fifth at 148, Santos tied for sixth at 149 and Kim tied for ninth at 150 over the 6,040-yard, par 73 Cypress Ridge Golf Course layout. Angela De Villa, playing as an individual for the Bulldogs, shot a final-round 77 for a 150 to also tie for ninth.
Savana Bezdicek of Northern Arizona University put together a pair of even-par 73s to win the 36-hole event at 146 for a 1-shot victory.
The Bulldogs took a 3-shot victory over Southern Utah University, while NAU finished third at 615. Gonzaga was the only school to break the 300 barrier Tuesday.
"We felt we were the best team at this tournament. We felt we put ourselves in a bad position. Nobody did it to us," Rickel said. "We learned a valuable lesson. You only get to be a team that wins if you do it the right way every day."
The tournament ended a very successful fall season for the Bulldogs who finished second at the Cougar Cup hosted by Washington State University, third at the Oregon State Invitational hosted by the Beavers in Corvallis, Ore., and seventh in the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational hosted by the University of Washington at famed Sahalee Country Club.
"I think it's a good season when you finish first, second, third and seventh in your four tournaments," Rickel said.
