JANE LEE
Sports Editor
Pepperdine rookie golfer Misun Cho may be the only freshman on her team, but that did not stop her from shooting a final-round 2-under par 69 to claim individual medalist honors and guide the No.-9 Waves to a victory at the prestigious three-day Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge that concluded Wednesday at the Palos Verdes Golf Club.
Pepperdine, which posted a third-round score of 4-over par 288, finished the 54-hole event with an 882 total and registered a nine-shot victory over Arizona State at the par-71, 5,912-yard course. Following in third was Florida (901), with Oklahoma State (904) grabbing fourth place and Arizona (907) rounding out the top five.
The tournament win marks a record third time for the Waves, who captured the event in 2003 and 2005.
“We’ve been practicing very hard, and we were able to achieve our goal of winning the tournament,” said senior Eileen Vargas. “We played solidly, so we’re all very happy about the results this week.”
The victory marked the first of Cho’s career after she entered Wednesday in 10th place, seven shots behind sophomore teammate Jayvie Agojo. Cho posted 14 pars, three birdies and did not record a bogey until her final hole as she registered a one-shot victory over Agojo and four other players.
“She was excellent,” Vargas said of her teammate. “She played solid all three days and was a huge help for the team.”
A native of South Korea, Cho represents the second Pepperdine player to win tournament individual medalist honors, joining former All-American and current LPGA member Katherine Hull, who claimed the event in 2003.
Other standout Wave performances came from Vargas and junior Stephanie Gelleni, who shot even-par 71s on Wednesday to finish tied for eighth and 16th, respectively.
Pepperdine topped a field that included 14 teams ranked in Golfweek’s latest Top 30 poll, but tough competition wasn’t the only test for the Waves.
“It was a challenging course,” Vargas said. “Conditions like the wind made it tough, but we were able to overcome that and pull out the win.”
The women will be back at the tee Feb. 26 when they travel to Tucson, Ariz., to compete in the Arizona Wildcat Invitational at the Arizona National Golf Course.
02-15-2007
