YORBA LINDA, Calif. — Sophomore
Jackie Lucena and junior
Andrea Gomez Lloret finished in a tie for fourth, while senior
Madison Wood ended the week with her second top-10 finish of the year, but the UC Davis women's golf team's final round rally came up two strokes shy, finishing second at the 2021 Big West Conference Women's Golf Championships on Wednesday at the Yorba Linda Country Club.
The Aggies improved their standing each day of the tournament, clinching the program's second runner-up finish in the last three championship events. UC Davis finished with a 2-over 290 on the day, and 7-over 871 for the three-day tournament, but could not catch eventual champion Cal Poly, which won the team event thanks to a 5-over 869.
In her Big West Championship debut, Lucena opened her final round on fire, playing the front nine at 3-under before running into trouble on the back, finishing at 2-over en route to a 1-under 71 on the day and finishing the year by playing six of her final nine rounds at par or better over her last three events.
Meanwhile,
Madison Wood was solid in her final round, recording a birdie on the eighth hole and playing even-par golf on the remaining 17 holes to post her second-straight top-10 at the league championship event. The senior also finished with a 1-under 71 en route to her lowest since round since carding a 70 in the second round of her first collegiate victory the Anuenue Spring Break Classic.
Also making her Big West debut, Gomez Lloret carded three birdies on the back nine en route to her 72 and finish with her third round at par or better this season and the best 54-hole tournament finish of her collegiate career. Her previous best was a tie for 10th at the Anuenue Spring Break Classic on March 22-24.
Senior
Skyler Wood saved her best round of the tournament for last on Wednesday, finishing at 4-over for the day and a tie for 31st overall, while senior
Hannah Sun, who entered the day in a tie for third, finished at 7-over and slipped into a tie for 17th.
The sticking point for the Aggies on Wednesday came on the 16th hole as UC Davis struggled to the tune of 8-over on that single hole alone, a deficit from which it could not fully recover. After playing at the middle of the pack in the first round, and the fifth-toughest hole in round two, the 16th was the final round's most difficult, with only one birdie scored on the hole on Wednesday, and 24 scores of bogey or worse from the field.
Overall, Gomez Lloret and Lucena led the team with eight birdies apiece on the week, good for a tie for seventh among the field, while Sun and
Madison Wood finished with seven each.
2021 BIG WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Yorba Linda Country Club (Yorba Linda, Calif.)
Par 72 • 6,235 Yards
TEAM SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
1. Cal Poly, 284-294-291—869 (+5)
2. UC DAVIS, 295-286-290—871 (+7)
3. Long Beach State, 291-295-287—873 (+9)
4. UC Irvine, 282-295-298—875 (+11)
5. UC Riverside, 303-295-287—885 (+21)
6. Cal State Fullerton, 301-303-301–905 (+41)
7. Hawai'i, 299-306-309—914 (+50)
8. CSUN, 307-308-313—928 (+64)
9. CSU Bakersfield, 314-323-322—959 (+95 )
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1. Holland Shourds, Long Beach State, 70-73-71—214 (-2)
t4.
Jackie Lucena, UC Davis, 72-74-71—217 (+1)
t4.
Andrea Gomez Lloret, UC Davis, 75-70-72—217 (+1)
9.
Madison Wood, UC Davis, 75-72-71–218 (+2)
t17.
Hannah Sun, UC Davis, 73-70-79—222 (+6)
t31.
Skyler Wood, UC Davis, 79-78-76—233 (+17)
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
