Women's Golf Opens Play In Hawaii

Tweet

KONA, Hawaii – After playing 36 holes on one of the most beautiful courses in the world on Monday, the Oregon State women's golf team finds itself in a tie for ninth place at the inaugural Pac-12 Preview with the final 18 holes slated for Tuesday.

The Beavers opened with an outstanding 2-over 294 in the morning round at the par-73, 6,112-yard Nanea Golf Club, but faltered a bit in the afternoon with a 20-over 312 to tie them with Colorado for ninth with a 22-over 606.

In a field that features six teams ranked in the nation's top 10 according to Golfweek, Washington is in first through 36 holes with a 16-under 568, while UCLA (14-under 570) and USC (12-under 572) are second and third, respectively. Washington State (25-over 609) and Hawaii (30-over 614) are behind the Beavers and Buffs at the two-day, 54-hole tournament.

“I believe there is a tremendous amount to be learned from both rounds that will help the players develop their talent and improve tomorrow,” Oregon State head coach Risë Alexander said. “I'm very proud of all of them for making real strides in their commitments to course strategy. Where we can improve the most is in the development of our short game.

“We played with some great teams today -- UCLA, Stanford and Washington -- and I can definitely say the difference in their games and ours are their short games. It was a great opportunity for us to see what the best players in the country have in the way of short game and what choices we can make to improve in that area.

Sophomore Ashlee Pickerell had the best day of any Beaver, as she posted a career-best 2-under 71 in the afternoon after opening with an even-par 73. She had seven birdies on the day, with just five bogeys, and is tied for 13^th place in a field that includes eight players ranked in the top 25 in the nation according to Golfweek.

Junior Anica Yoo fired a 2-under 71 in the morning round for her third sub-par score this fall, but she slipped in the afternoon with a 10-over 83 to put her in a tie for 46^th place with an 8-over 154. Senior Seshia Telles is also tied for 46^th after posting 75-79 for an 8-over 154.

Sophomore Chelsea Saelee is tied for 52^nd with a 10-over 75-81--156 and senior Lauren Sewell is a stroke back and in sole 54^th with an 11-over 76-81--157.

Bronte Law of UCLA holds a four-stroke individual lead after firing an 11-under 70-65--135 to put her ahead of Washington's SooBin Kim who posted a 7-under 72-67--139.

This is the first non-member tournament ever to be held at Nanea Golf Club in the 10-year history of the course. The member's only golf course, built in 2003, is the creation of financiers George Roberts and Charles Schwab.

The clubhouse at Nanea was constructed to resemble Kona Island's five volcanoes, while the course, designed by David McLay Kidd, was carved from a mountainside on the Big Island with lava rock lining the far stretches of playable area before it drops into the Pacific Ocean.

The final round will begin at 7:30 a.m. HT (10:30 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, and live scoring is available at golfstat.com.