University of Washington
UC Irvine Kia Classic
Dawgs Take Big Lead At UC Irvine Invitational
February 24, 2015 | Women's Golf
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SANTA ANA, Calif. – No. 4 Washington took the lead after the 36-hole first day of the UC Irvine Invitational. The Dawgs finished the day at 10-under 566 to take an eleven stroke lead into Tuesday's final round at the Santa Ana Country Club.
“I am really proud of the team today,” said head coach Mary Lou Mulflur. “It was a total team effort with everyone contributing.”
The Dawgs fired back-to-back rounds of 5-under 283 to take a sizeable lead over and elite field that included several other top-ranked teams. No. 2 USC sits in second place at 1-over as the Trojans came the closest to finishing under par, something only Washington was able to achieve.
No. 15 Texas A&M is third at 2-over, while Texas Tech is fourth at 6-over and No. 24 San Diego State fifth at 9-over.
The Dawgs got an incredibly balanced performance with all five players contributing. In fact, each of the Huskies finished at even par or better on a day when only 14 players in the entire field finished at even or in red numbers.
“We did what we usually do,” said Mulflur. “We took advantage of the par 5's and avoided big numbers for the most part.”
The top Husky finisher was Jennifer Yang who is tied for fourth at 3-under. Yang opened with a round of 3-under 69 and then backed it up with an even-par 72 to sit just three strokes back of Gabriella Then of USC who holds the lead at 6-under.
Just one stroke back of Yang were teammates Ying Luo and Cyd Okino. Each finished the day at 2-under to sit in a tie for sixth. Luo opened with a 3-under 69 and then closed the day with a round of 1-over 73. Meanwhile, Okino did the opposite, firing a 1-over 73 in the morning, before closing with the Dawgs best round of the afternoon, a 3-under 69.
Also in the top-10 is Charlotte Thomas who is tied for 10th at 1-under. Thomas opened with a 1-over 73, before an afternoon of 2-under 70.
Finally, Eimi Koga finished the day at even par after a pair of level-par 72's. She is tied for 12th although her steady play was a big part of the Dawgs success as both of her scores were kept.
“When your worst score for the day is a 73, that's a team effort,” said Mulflur.
Washington will finish the UC Irvine Invitational on Tuesday with the 18-hole final round. The Dawgs have a commanding lead and will look to finish off their fourth victory of the season.
Players Mentioned
