With some of the toughest competition in the nation for women’s collegiate golf, the Pacific 10 Conference teams collided for one final round yesterday at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes, Calif., to crown a conference champion for the 19th time.

The No. 12 Wildcats finished in a fourth-place tie at 56-over-par with No. 17 California, a team they had battled throughout the tournament. No. 3 USC won the tournament by a large margin, shooting 1-under-par, nine strokes ahead of second-place No. 2 UCLA, which imploded in the second and third rounds. “”We finished fourth, but honestly we are pretty disappointed,”” said UA head coach Shelly Haywood. “”We had expectations to do much better.””

The Wildcats normally turn to their stars in senior Alison Walshe and freshman Alejandra Llaneza, but with both players finishing at 13-over-par to tie for 16th place, it took strong performances from the rest of the team. Senior Mary Jacobs led the way for Arizona at 10-over-par to finish in a 10th-place tie. Junior Amanda Wilson (20 over, 32nd) and sophomore Emily Mason (29 over, 42nd) rounded out the Wildcat scoring.

“”We have done it all year long,”” said Haywood, referring to the rest of the team stepping up its game to keep the team competitive. “”We haven’t relied on one single person.””

While the team may be disappointed at its performance, it is hard to say that a fourth-place finish in the Pac-10 Conference Championships is easy to come by. In the tournament the team had the competition of No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 USC and No. 4 ASU, teams which all placed ahead of the Wildcats.

“”This year is definitely more competitive,”” Haywood said. “”People are starting to realize that there is some tough competition.””