Cal Poly Women’s Golf claimed its third straight Big West Championship at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas from Sunday, April 16 through Tuesday, April 18.
The green and gold led throughout all three rounds and finished the championship with an 11-stroke victory over second-place Long Beach State.
First-year head coach Courtney Roberts kept the Mustangs’ streak alive, winning four of the last six conference championships.
“It feels great to add another Big West championship to the trophy case and keep building on the success of this program,” Roberts said to Cal Poly Athletics.
Cal Poly finished round one with a three-stroke lead, but Long Beach State crept within one stroke to end the second round. On the windy final day, the Mustangs truly shined and led by as many as 15 strokes.
The championship was a team effort, as Cal Poly did not have a golfer in the top three individual scores. However, fifth-year Vanessa Wang and junior Nicole Neale both came in fourth place shooting six over par through the three days combined.
Wang shot a 73, one-over-par, on her final day of play to lock in a 222-shot total over 54 holes. Wang along with Neale, redshirt junior Jensen Jalukfa and sophomore Kamille Dimayuga all shot 73s on day one.
“A real strength of our team is our depth,” Roberts said to the Big West Conference after day one.
Neale’s biggest moment in the three-day affair came on her eagle on hole 18 to end day two. She tackled the 510-yard par-5 with a drive, a four iron on the green and sunk a 40-foot putt to give the Mustangs the one-streak lead at the end of day two.
Individually, Neale positioned herself in second place with her eagle on the way into the clubhouse.
Neale and Wang finished with eight birdies over 54 holes. Fifth-year Elizabeth Scholtes averaged 77 strokes a round, which tied her for 18th place.
Cal Poly will compete in one of the six NCAA regionals from Monday, May 8 through Wednesday, May 10. Regional pairings will be announced on Wednesday, April 26 at 10 a.m. on The Golf Channel.
Following the regionals, Arizona State will host the NCAA National Championships from Friday, May 19 through Wednesday, May 24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.