ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Senior Rei Nakatani shot a final round 73 to finish at 4-over for the tournament and the UC Davis women's golf team closed out its inaugural competition of the 2019-20 season in 10th place at the 41st annual Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational on Tuesday morning in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Aggies finished at 23-over for the tournament as a team for a total of 887, five strokes ahead of Nebraska and just four shots back of the host Lobos. Kent State, which ended day one in second place, finished 10-under in the final round to sprint past day one leader Pepperdine and take home team honors by seven shots over the Waves.

Pepperdine's Momoka Kobori, who finished with a final-round 64, shot 8-under 207 for the day and leapt nine spots in the standings to earn medalist honors, edging Karoline Stormo of Kent State and Priscilla Schmid of Indiana by two shots.

For Nakatani, it was her second career top-10 finish and her first since the Anuenue Spring Break Classic as a sophomore in 2017. Opening the day on the 10th hole, the three-time WGCA All-America Scholar struggled to a 3-over 39 on the back nine before rallying on the front, draining birdies on the par-4 second and the par-3 eighth to finish at 1-over for the day.

Wrapping up her first-ever collegiate tournament, freshman Jackie Lucena jumped 16 spots to finish in a tie for 40th, firing a final-round 73 to finish at 8-over for the event. The Chico, Calif., native birdied three of the final six holes to finish at 1-under on the front nine en route to her season-best single-round score.

Another big mover on the day was junior Madison Wood, who improved 11 spots to finish in a tie for 51st with a 10-over-par 226, including a final-round 74.

Senior Christine Danielsson (tied for 74th), junior Hannah Sun (tied for 77th), and senior Yoonhee Kim (tied for 77th), rounded out the UC Davis group, with Sun posting her best round of the tournament thanks to a final-round 74.

The Aggies now take a short break before returning to the links on Sept. 22-24 at the East-West Match Play competition hosted by the University of Wisconsin at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisc.

41st ANNUAL BRANCH LAW FIRM/DICK McGUIRE INVITATIONAL
UNM Championship Course (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Par 72 • 6,317 Yards

TEAM SCORES (54 holes - Final)
1. Kent State, 283-287-278—848 (-16)
2. Pepperdine, 280-289-286—855 (-9)
t3. Iowa State, 286-293-283—862 (-2)
t3. Ole Miss, 283-288-291—862 (-2)
5. San Diego State, 285-294-284—863 (-1)
6. Mississippi State, 279-301-287—867 (+3)
7. Indiana, 293-291-291—875 (+11)
8. Nevada, 291-293-296—880 (+16)
9. New Mexico, 291-295-297—883 (+19)
10. UC DAVIS, 297-291-299—887 (+23)
11. Nebraska, 299-299-294—892 (+28)
12. UNLV, 297-299-304—900 (+36)
13. Iowa, 295-306-301—902 (+38)
t14. Idaho, 297-303-311—911 (+47)
t14. Colorado State, 304-306-301—911 (+47)

INDIVIDUAL SCORES (54 holes - Final)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)

1. Momoka Kobori, Pepperdine, 69-74-64—207 (-9)
7. Rei Nakatani, UC Davis, 69-70-73—212 (-4)
t40. Jackie Lucena, UC Davis, 75-76-73—224 (+8)
t51. Madison Wood, UC Davis, 74-78-74—226 (+10)
t74. Christine Danielsson, UC Davis, 81-71-79—231 (+15)
t77. Hannah Sun, UC Davis, 82-76-74—232 (+16)*
t77. Yoonhee Kim, UC Davis, 79-74-79—232 (+16)

* competing as an individual

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.

MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.