A late rally by Arizona State was enough to edge out the Arizona women’s golf team from first place on the final day of competition at the Pac-12 Preview.
The Wildcats traveled to Kailua Kona, Hawaii for the Pac-12 Preview at the Nanea Golf Club on Monday in hopes of continuing to improve their performance. The Cats finished in third last year at the tournament, only 11 strokes behind the winning UCLA team, with a total score of 888.
“The conditions were rough the first day but we rallied as a team and really played well in the afternoon,” said sophomore Gigi Stoll.
The Wildcats completed the first two rounds of play on Monday, where they ended the day on a high note. The women finished up day one in a tie for second place alongside Arizona State at 10 over par with a score of 594, while Stanford held the top spot at +8.
Arizona proved to be strong individually as well after the first two rounds on Monday. The women were led by sophomore Gigi Stoll who had a successful first day where she sat in a tie for first place at 3 under par with rounds of 69 and 74. Junior Krystal Quihuis and sophomore Haley Moore also had a good first day where they finished in a tie for eighth place with 1 over par.
“I was happy with my performance, especially after the second round,” Moore said. “I struck the ball very well and made some clutch putts when I needed it.”
Kathleen Scavo of Oregon and Robynn Ree of USC ended the first rounds of play tied with Stoll for the individual tournament with 3 under par.
The Cats returned for day two on Tuesday where they continued to fight hard against some fierce Pac-12 competition. The outlook was positive after the first day for coach Laura Ianello.
“The team has a group of experienced players who have competed in big championships and great team unity,” said Ianello, who pointed to that as the reason they are all driving towards success.
The women finished overall in second place at 5 over par with a total score of 881. Winning the competition only three shots ahead of the Wildcats was Arizona State at 2 over par.
“Coming in second place was huge for us to close out the fall season,” said Moore, who said she is looking forward to a good start to the spring season after a successful fall season.
The Wildcats did well individually as well with junior Quihuis finishing in a tie for third at 3-under par with a final round of 70, her second top-10 finish this year. Stoll also ended the tournament on a high note, placing in a tie for fourth place with a round of 74 and -2 overall. Finally, Moore wrapped up day two at even par and a round of 72, scoring her the tie for seventh place in the tournament.
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Junior Natalia Forero, who competed as an individual, finished in a tie for 53rd after a final round score of 79. Sophomore Danielle Lee finished in a tie for 26th at 9 over par and a round of 71, while freshman Sandra Nordaas scored a final round of 79 putting her in a tie for 56th overall. The individual competition was won by Robynn Ree of USC who had a final score of 6 under par.
The Pac-12 Preview was the final tournament of the fall season for the Wildcats. They return to play on Feb. 5-7 at the Northrop Grumman.
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