Zags to End Fall with Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown

Oct. 22, 2016

WGOLF_Notes_Tournament_5

Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown

Sunday, Oct. 23 - Tuesday, Oct. 25

54 Holes | Boulder Creek Golf Club | Par 72 | 6,301 yards

LAST TIME OUT:

Gonzaga ventured across the state to Lakewood, Washington, for the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational two weeks ago...the Zags took fifth, leapfrogging Cal State Fullerton on the final day after shooting even-par 288 to end the tournament...that even-par round equaled a season best and was the fifth in school history.
Senior Ciera Min once again led the way for Gonzaga, taking second place and finishing one stroke off the lead...sophomore Bianca Pagdanganan tied for 15th after also shooting 69 (-3) during the final round, and fellow sophomore Jena Gao battled to a 2-over 74 in round three, helping the Zags climb the leaderboard.

WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS...:

This will be the Zags' third straight year in the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown...last year, they counted 866 strokes (+2) for the second-lowest tournament score in program history while finishing 18th...their round two tally of 287 (-1) was just the third time Gonzaga has gone below par as a team and is the fourth-lowest score in program history...then-senior Raychelle Santos ended the tournament at 1-under 215 and Bianca Pagdanganan shot even-par 216.
Two years ago, the Zags finished seventh in the tournament, shooting 883 (+19)...both Santos and Ciera Min tied for eighth with 56-hole scores of 216...as a team, they once again finished strong, shooting 289 (+1) during the final round...that was their first appearance in the event.

THE TOP-EST OF FIVES:

Ciera Min has been lights-out to begin her senior season...in stroke play, she's finished among the Top Five three times, including second-place finishes at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic and Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational...counting her WCC Championship win at the end of last year, she's finished among the Top Five in her last four tournaments, a program first.
Against other WCC players in stroke play, Min's been dominant this year, going 38-2-0 head-to-head...also, she's shot below par in six of her nine stroke play rounds, scoring in the 60s twice.
In match play, Min was just as impressive, winning all three matches against Idaho, Portland State, and BYU's No. 1 seeds...she won every match in dominant fashion with scores of either 5&4 and 4&2.

WHO'S WHO AT THE LAS VEGAS COLLEGIATE SHOWDOWN:

Four of the field's 19 teams are among GolfStat's top 50 in the nation, including 14th-ranked Texas and 29th-ranked Baylor...San Diego State and New Mexico State are both in the 30s.
Eleven more squads are between No. 50 and No. 100, including Gonzaga, who's ranked No. 81...overall, 15 of the 19 teams in the field are rated 100 or better by GolfStat.
Individually, eight of GolfStat's top 100 players will be in Boulder City...San Diego State's Georgia Lacey is the highest ranked player at No. 48...the Bulldogs' own Ciera Min is the third-highest ranked player in the field, coming in at No. 56...she's one spot behind San Jose State's My Leander.
The 56-hole tournament will be played over two 9-hole courses: Desert Hawk (the front nine) and Coyote Run (back nine)...the course will play at 6,301 yards as a par-72...this is the 15th edition of the tournament, which started in 2012.

ZAGS ON THE COURSE THIS WEEK:

	Name	Yr.	Avg.	Notable
1.	Ciera Min	Sr.	71.44	Carded six of Gonzaga's eight rounds below par so far this season.
2.	Bianca Pagdanganan	So.	74.11	Three Top-25 finishes on the year...two rounds in the 60s.
3.	Jena Gao	So.	77.44	Hit first collegiate ace during Rd. 2 of Pat Lesser Harbottle Invite.
4.	Jessica Mangrobang	Fr.	77.78	Perfect 3-0 record at Gonzaga Match Play to begin October.
5.	Nina Novilla	Fr.	78.67	10 pars, one birdie during final round of Pat Lesser Harbottle Invite.

Footer