WGOLF Wraps up Regionals, Season on Strong Note
5/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Complete Results | Tournament Central
SAN ANTONIO, Texas—The Gonzaga University women's golf team wrapped up the 2014-15 season at the NCAA Regionals in San Antonio Saturday, posting its best team score of the tournament at Briggs Ranch Golf Club.
Like she had all week, Alice Kim ended the day atop the Gonzaga lineup after a final round 74 (+2). She made the turn at even par, but a double bogey on her 10th hole gave her two additional strokes. Two birdies and two bogeys later, she wrapped up the round— and her GU career—at 74. She tied for 26th in the tournament with 217 strokes, one stroke above par. The finish is the highest individual finish by a Zag in a Regional.
Ciera Min spent the entire tournament as the second-ranked Zag, also wrapping up with a 74 (+2). Min played both nines at one over par, counting three birdies and 11 pars on the day. She finished the tournament tied for 40th with 219 strokes (+3), also better than any Zag in Gonzaga's past two NCAA outings.
A senior, Han Wu also saw a strong end to her Gonzaga career by firing a 1-over-par 73, the lowest round by a Bulldog on Saturday. She made the turn at even par after offsetting two bogeys with two birdies on her front nine, and she added six pars, two bogeys, and a birdie in the final nine holes. Wu finished the tournament with 232 strokes (+16), good for a tie at 80th.
Raychelle Santos closed the Regionals with a 4-over-par 76, her best round of the spring season. The La Quinta, Calif., native parred six of her first seven holes, making the turn at one over par. She added two pars and a couple birdies on her final nine for the 76. She finished in a tie for 85th with a three-day total of 235, 19 strokes above par.
Rounding out the lineup, Dania Uy shot 81 (+9), her lowest round of the tournament. The freshman's first four holes were a bit rocky at five-over-par, but she collected herself and carded five straight pars and opened her second nine with a birdie. Uy moved into 94th with a three-day score of 264 (+48).
As a team, Gonzaga counted 297 strokes (+9), its lowest score of the tournament by three. They moved into 15th place with a three-day tally of 903, 39 strokes over par. The score is also the Zags' lowest at an NCAA Regional.
"The team played hard today, and Alice had the best finish ever at Regionals for us," said GU head coach Brad Rickel. "In the end we just were not healthy enough to compete the way we want to. You have to have five healthy people playing well to compete at this level."
Baylor won the team contest with a three-day tally of 842, 22 strokes below par. UCLA, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Washington, and Texas Tech also advanced to the NCAA Championships held May 22-27 in Bradenton, Fla. Individually, the Bears' Hayley Davis earned medalist honors with a 16-under-par 200 on the tournament. Arizona State's Monica Vaughn, Oregon State's Anica Yoo, and Texas' Bertine Strauss each advanced to the Championships as individuals and were all tied for sixth at 212 (-4).
With the end of the season, Gonzaga will say goodbye to two seniors who will graduate tomorrow, Sunday, May 10. Kim and Wu have both spent the last four years with the women's golf program and have helped the program reach the NCAA Regionals three times in a row, its first postseason experiences. Santos, Min, Uy, and current junior Angela De Villa are all slated to return in the fall, and they'll be joined by two incoming freshmen: Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines and Jena Gao of China.
