The 48th ranked Long Beach State women’s golf team came back with a vengeance Wednesday morning at the Dove Canyon Country Club as the 49ers erupted with a tournament low of 289 in the final round to capture the Anteater Invitational championship.
LBSU won by 12-strokes over second place UC Davis and 13-shots over third place No. 26 San Francisco. Tournament host UC Irvine, which is ranked No. 23, finished in fifth place, 28-shots behind the 49ers.
This was the first tournament victory for Long Beach State since the 2001-02 campaign, when the 49ers won the Cal State Northridge Matador Fall Classic.
Senior All-American Kay Hoey fired a two-under par 69 in Wednesday’s final round to tie for third place with fellow teammate freshman Lee Lopez. Hoey’s 69 was the lowest score recorded in the final round. Both players completed the tournament with a three-round score of 216, finishing just four strokes behind Chelsea Stelzmiller of UC Davis as she won the individual medalist.
Sophomore Lindsey McAtee finished third for The Beach as she recorded her best tournament finish this season as she made a strong comeback as she carded a one-over 72 to finish tied for 20th. McAtee shot a 77 in the opening round on Monday to tie for 17th, but then fell in the standings in Tuesday’s second round as she shot an 83 to tie for 37th.
Sophomore Reina Rogers improved by four shots with a 76 to move up in the standings from 37th to tie for 28th. Rogers started the tournament with an 82 and 78 to finish with a three-round score of 236.
Junior Brenda Chhuor tied for 31st as she carded an 81 in the final round. Chhuor shot a 78 in the first two rounds to finish with a 54-hole score of 237.
“Ecstatic is the only word to describe how great it feels to see all their hard work pay off,” said head coach Sue Ewart. “I’ve been telling them that they are strong from 1-5 and as good as any top ranked team; today they proved it to themselves and that makes it all worth it.”
“It was a total team effort and their focus today was phenomenal,” added Ewart. “We are now looking forward to the conference championship and post-season play. With this win they should have secured their ticket into the regional playoffs and that was the ultimate goal. I tip my hats to the team!”
The 49ers will next be in action as they prepare for the Big West Conference Championships that will take place on Apr. 20 and 21, in San Luis Obispo.
Report By LBSU