The No. 37 ranked UC Davis women’s golf team faced off with 14 other teams from around the nation at the Anuenue Spring Break Classic in Maui, Hawai’i from March 24 to March 26. The Aggies came into the weekend on a hot streak after performing admirably in their last three tournaments, placing second, sixth, and second respectively.
Through 18 holes, UC Davis held fourth place with a 10-over 288, led by sophomore Betty Chen who held a share of the individual lead after shooting a two-under 70.
Chen continued her dominance in the second round, scoring an even round of 72 while dropping one place in the standings. Junior Beverly Vatananugulkit scored a 75 on the round, bringing her to a tie for No. 27, allowing the Aggies to slip into third place.
UC Davis held on through the final 18 holes, finishing the weekend in third place. Chen impressed once again, scoring a one-under 71 to take second place. Vatananugulkit shot a 77 on the day, while finishing No. 29 in the field.
“Competing today was a great opportunity for us to learn about what we need to do to compete with a few top teams in the country,” said head coach Anna Temple.
The Aggies finished just behind nationally-ranked Pepperdine, No. 15, and Washington, No. 10.
Meanwhile, the men’s golf squad traveled to Stanford to compete in The Goodwin.
The Aggies finished the first day in 13th place, shooting a seven-over 287. They were led by sophomores Ben Corfee and Luke Vivolo who each shot one-over 71s.
A rain-filled Saturday saw UC Davis drop one place in the standings, down to 14th place, after a 15-over 285. Vivolo once again led the pack, shooting a two-over 70, while freshman Nicholas Noya and senior Matt Hansen each chipped in with 73s.
The final day was owned by Hansen, who birdied five of his first 10 holes on his way to a five-under 65, just one stroke away from a career best. This virtuoso performance allowed the senior to jump 29 spots into a 20th place finish.
Corfee, who led the Aggies for much of the weekend, finished the weekend by shooting a 70, knocking him into a 28th place result.
Hansen’s performance helped UC Davis to jump four spots to a 10th place finish in the tournament. The Aggies shot a one-under 279 in the final round, significantly better than the first two days, leaving them 21-over on the weekend.
Their performance also saw them defeat several nationally-ranked opponents, including No. 43 TCU, No. 33 San Diego State University and No. 22 UNLV.
The men’s golf team will hope to continue the excellence of their final round at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic from April 7 to April 8, while the women’s squad will take their talents to the PING/ASU Invitational from April 4 to April 6.
