TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
The No.-17 Pepperdine women’s golf team, led by freshman Taylore Karle, took 11th place at the PING/Arizona State Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., over the weekend. This was the Waves’ final tournament before the West Coast Conference Championship.
The Waves shot a respectable 303 in the final round Sunday to finish the tournament at 911. USC took first place in a field of 17 schools with a score of 854, followed by Arizona State (865) and UCLA (876).
On Friday, Karle notched birdies on the third, fifth and 17th holes but recorded a bogey or worse in four holes to conclude the first round with a 6-over 78.
“The first day I had two really bad holes,” Karle said. “I got in two really bad situations that didn’t help me at all.”
Senior Leanne Bowditch and junior Jayvie Agojo each shot a 2-over 74 to tie for a team-best 32nd place, and Pepperdine finished the first round in a 10th-place tie with a combined score of 299.
Karle started strong in the second round Saturday, collecting birdies in the first and fifth holes to finish 2-under after the front nine. She ended the day with a par-72 to put her in a tie for 36th place with Agojo, who shot a 4-over 76. Bowditch struggled in the second round, posting an 8-over 80 to fall to 59th, and the Waves dropped to 14th place after recording a score of 309.
In the final round, Agojo ran into bogey trouble early but recovered to end the day with a 3-over 75 and conclude the tournament in a tie for 38th place. For the second straight round, Karle birdied the first hole and finished with an even-par 72, placing her in a team-best 24th-place tie. Bowditch shot a 3-over 75 to take 53rd.
Other Waves who competed in the tournament were senior Stephanie Gelleni, who finished 77th at 239 (76-81-82), and freshman Martine de Gannes, who tied for 78th at 241 (75-85-81).
Head Coach Laurie Gibbs said the team was coming off a three-week break and was probably a bit rusty, especially in the first round.
“For the most part, we did improve in our final round,” Gibbs said. “We’re just focused on having a really good conference championship this coming weekend… I think we’re ready to come out and have a good tournament.”
The WCC Championship will take place April 14-15 at Chambers Bay Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash.
04-10-2008
