Heading into the final day of competition at the Duck Invitational on Tuesday, the Aggies sat firmly in fifth place – six strokes out of fourth, 12 out of sixth.
The Aggies would keep it that way.
The UC Davis women’s golf team finished strong in the tournament’s final round, solidifying its fifth-place finish in Eugene, Ore. The performance was good for the Aggies‘ sixth top-10 showing this season.
The Aggies shot a 927 over their three rounds on the par-72, 5,954-yard golf course at Shadow Hills Country Club.
Hosted by Oregon, the invitational featured many top women’s golf programs, including No. 25 San Francisco, No. 35 Oregon and No. 60 Oregon State, who finished in that order to claim the tournament’s top three places.
Despite the solid finish, coach Anne Walker was hoping for better results from her team.
“Overall, we were disappointed with where we finished,” she said, “because we felt we belonged in the top three.“
According to Golfstat.com, the Aggies are ranked now just one position behind Oregon State at No. 61 in the nation.
The Beavers, however, don’t have sophomores Alice Kim and Chelsea Stelzmiller providing solid play day in and day out.
The duo shot a couple of 228s, finishing tied for 12th place among individuals.
“Alice and Chelsea continue to lead the team with their tough, consistent play,” Walker said.
Kim, a Walnut, Calif. native, opened up with an eight-over 80 in the first round, but rebounded by shooting a team-low 71 in the final round.
Stelzmiller also struggled in the opening round, as the former Big West Player and Freshman of the Year fired off a 77. She carded a second-round 74.
As a team, the Aggies had their tournament-worst round in the first, shooting a 320 as they battled a sharp cold of 38 degrees coupled with rain.
But even with the rough conditions, the Aggies knocked off 18 strokes in the second round of the day on Monday to place them five out of first.
Kim and Stelzmiller each checked in with five-over 77s while senior Jessica Yam was able to scratch off a few strokes to shoot a 75 – a team best on the day – and keep the Aggies in fifth.
Next on the schedule for the Aggies is a Southern California trip to Orange County for the UC Irvine Invitational next Monday.
“We’ve been practicing and playing for seven straight days, so we’re prepared to play well,” Walker said, “but we’ll be keeping our figures crossed that it can all come together in Irvine.“
MATT MILLER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
