ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women's golf team placed second after Tuesday's final round of the season-opening Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational presented by Margaret Moses Branch and Annete Arrigoni hosted by New Mexico at UNM Championship Course (Par 72, 6,354 yards).
The Rebels received top-10 finishes from two of their seniors as
Toa Yokoyama tied for third at 6-under 210 and
Mayumi Umezu tied for seventh at even-par 216. They combined to record 23 of 41 birdies by the Scarlet & Gray for the tournament.
Following their Scarlet & Gray counterparts on the scorecard, senior
Hina Matsui (+8) and sophomore
Zi Yu Foong (+8) both tied for 29th and senior
McKenzi Hall (+10) tied for 34th. Competing as an individual in her collegiate debut, freshman
Amber Chen (+8) matched her teammates Foong and Matsui with a tied-for-29th performance.
Taking the team crown as the only squad ahead of the Rebels, Long Beach State fired off an 8-under 280 in the final round to finish at 1-under 863 through 54 holes. As a team, the Rebels (+5) were just six shots back of LBSU.
Pepperdine's Lauren Gomez grabbed individual medalist honors with a winning score of 11-under 205 for a three-shot advantage over LBSU's Jasmine Leovao (-8).
QUOTABLE: "The team's second-place finish is a testament to the hard work and dedication the student-athletes showed over the summer. They played great in this tournament and it was a nice way to start the year."
-UNLV Head Coach Amy Bush-Herzer
UP NEXT: UNLV returns to competition in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate being hosted by Denver from Friday-Sunday, October 6-8.
NOTES:
- This marks UNLV's second straight tournament with second-place finish dating back to last season when they took second at the Mountain West Championship.
- Through 36 holes, the Rebels had their best two rounds with matching even-par 288 scorecards in each of those.
