The opener for the UC Davis women’s golf team was everything that a spring tournament should be.
It was 60 degrees, the sun was out, birds were chirping and the Aggies were finding the bottom of the cup.
UC Davis finished off its first tournament of the new season with a strong fourth-place showing at the Fresno State Lexus Classic on Monday and Tuesday.
After the first day of play, UC Davis found itself in sole possession of first place after shooting a 296 – thanks in large to sophomore sensations Alice Kim and Chelsea Stelzmiller, who fired off a 69 and 71, respectively.
“Alice and Chelsea did a great job of leading our team,” coach Anne Walker said. “We rely on them and they deliver great, consistent play.“
In the second round of action, two new heroes emerged: Kimberly Johnson and Katie Sisler. The duo combined to knock five strokes off their first round totals, shooting 76 and 78, respectively.
Entering the final round of play, the Aggies were in third place with No. 29 San Francisco and No. 21 UC Irvine directly ahead of them.
“The big positive to this tournament was that we had a chance to win,” Walker said. “We put ourselves in a legitimate chance to compete with two top teams.“
Kim delivered a final round 72 to clinch a third-place individual finish.
The rest of the Aggies, however, buckled slightly and added seven strokes to their team total with a 17-over 305 at the 6,072-yard Copper River Country Club course.
No. 44 Long Beach State was able into slide into third after shooting an impressive 7-over 295 in their final round. UC Irvine jumped ahead of the Dons to grab the tournament title.
Despite the Aggies‘ final round falters, Walker sees the bigger picture.
“We played well overall,” she said. “I was very impressed with how senior Jessica Yam played. She had a great event and nothing can make me as a coach happier than to have so much depth. We really have 10 legitimate players on this team.”
MATT MILLER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
