The No. 12 Arizona women’s golf team played well all weekend but came up short in the end.
Arizona finished in second place at the Stanford/Pepsi Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., five strokes behind No. 9 Vanderbilt, which shot a blistering 9-under-par 275 in the final round to take home the title.
“”There was a lot of pressure (in the second round). Coming down the stretch, I thought we had a chance.””
– Greg Allen,
UA head coach
“”Vanderbilt played great,”” UA head coach Greg Allen said. “”There was nothing we could do about that.””
Junior Alison Walshe led the Wildcats with a 6-under 207 and tied for first place overall, leading the way to Arizona’s 8-over 860. It was her second first-place finish this year.
Sophomore Adriana Zwanck and junior Mary Jacobs both finished in the top 10 as well.
Zwanck bogeyed her final hole and finished one shot behind Walshe. Her 5-under 208 was good enough for a second-place tie.
Jacobs finished tied for eighth place with an even 213 for the tournament.
Arizona jumped out to a huge lead on the first day, shooting an astounding 7-under 277 as a team. The Wildcats held a seven-stroke lead over the second-place team, No. 1 Georgia.
But Arizona shot an 8-over 292 in the second round and fell to second place behind No. 6 Stanford. They were still in good position to get a win heading into the final round.
The Wildcats outplayed the Cardinal in the final round, and if it wasn’t for Vanderbilt playing lights-out and leapfrogging everybody, they would have taken home the title.
Allen said the team had a really good weekend, and although they were not able to pull out a win, he thought it was a great learning experience.
“”There was a lot of pressure (in the last round),”” Allen said. “”Coming down the stretch, I thought we had a chance,””
He added that this tournament was proof that Arizona’s top-three trio of Walshe, Zwanck and Jacobs are as good as any trio in the country.
Sophomore Amanda Wilson finished in 62nd place with a 22-over 235, while freshman Brittany Benvenuto shot a 31-over 244 to finish tied for 73rd place in her collegiate debut.
The team’s top scores count toward the team’s total score, so the Wildcats’ lack of production from the bottom of their lineup likely cost them a victory.
Men stand in seventh after opening round
The No. 64 Arizona men’s golf team carded an opening-round 7-over 295 to finish yesterday in seventh place at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
The Wildcats trail tournament leader No. 8 Georgia by four strokes.
UA junior Creighton Honeck is making the most of his first varsity tournament, leading the Wildcats with a 1-under 71, good for a seventh-place tie.
