Nov. 3, 2004
HENDERSON, Nev. - Rebel senior Hwanhee Lee took medalist honors and UNLV shot a two-under 215 in Wednesday's final round to fight off a strong charge from No. 3-ranked Washington and win the 3rd Annual Las Vegas Founders Showdown held at Anthem Country Club.
It was the first win of the season for the Rebels, who finished ahead of four teams ranked in the top-25, and fifth overall in the program's four-year history. UNLV also won its own tournament for the first time, as the Rebels finished the tournament with a total of 875 (+11) on the par-72, 6,194-yard course.
Lee led the Rebels with a two-under 70 to capture medalist honors with a three-day total of 215 (-1). The senior was the only player to finish the tournament under par. It was also Lee's second win in her career. As a freshman Lee won the first medalist honor for UNLV at the Lady Aztec Invitational on Feb. 18, 2002, during the program's inaugural season.
UNLV's win didn't come easy however, as the Huskies fired an eight-under 280 Wednesday, the low round of the tournament, putting pressure on the Rebels to close strongly
UNLV did not wilt as junior Elena Kurokawa and sophomore Seema Sadekar both shot one-under 71 to join Lee at sub-par for the final round. Sadekar finished the tournament in fourth place with a total of 217 (+1) and Kurokawa tied for fifth with a 218 (+2).
Tina Mabanta shot her best round of the tournament Wednesday, a three-over 75 to cap the Rebels' team scoring. Although the senior finished in a tie for 65th, her strong final round helped the Rebels hold off Washington. Allison Chell finished in a tie for 35th with a total of 228 (+12) after shooting a final round 78 (+6).
Washington's strong push moved them into second place with an 880 (+16). The Huskies shot 26 strokes better than they did Tuesday. Finishing in third place as a team was No. 18 Stanford, which carded a total of 890 (+26) for the tournament. UC Irvine finished fourth with an 892 (+28) while Texas Tech shot an 893 (+29) to finish fifth.
Sung Ea Lee of Washington led the Huskies' final-round blitz with a four-under 68. Lee finished in a tie for second with Jessica Potter of San Francisco, as both capped the tournament with an even-par 216. Denise Knaebel of No. 10 Missouri shot a two-under 70 and finished with a total of 218 (+2) to tie with Kurokawa for fifth place.
Also competing as individuals for the Rebels were Christine Hentzer (239, +23), Young Pak (241, +25), Ayeesha Kosugi (263, +47) and Erin McGough (267, +51).
Full results may be found by clicking here.
