Bernardo Heights Country Club hosted an elevated batch of talent on Feb. 10 and 11 at the San Diego State Classic. The likes of No. 1 Stanford, No. 35 UNLV and No. 48 BYU made the trek, as well as multiple nationally-ranked individuals.
SDSU tallied almost 30 birdies as a team across the three rounds and nearly led the tournament in pars (168).
Leading the way for the Scarlet and Black was the youthful duo of freshman Kylie Phi and sophomore Ema Narita.
Phi entered Monday’s action after earning Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors and continued to play a big role for her team. Her scores decreased over the course of three rounds, counting in every round as well. She carded 76-74-72, which consisted of seven birdies and only 10 bogeys or worse.
Like Phi, Narita’s scores counted in all three rounds. She also carded the only under-par round for the Aztecs (one-under par 71). Narita also kept her over-par numbers to a minimum, only totaling 12 bogeys or worse.
Typically, freshmen and sophomores tend to struggle when they have to play 36 holes in a day because they are not used to playing at such a high level in such a short amount of time; Phi and Narita defied this stereotype. The young tandem carried most of their team’s load for 54 holes, thanks to their ability to avoid the bigger numbers.
The other Aztec starters were senior Maya Benita, junior Stephanie Barbaglia, and sophomore Nikki Kato.
Benita improved upon her performance in the match against Long Beach State, never reaching the 80s in any of her three rounds. She also had every score count for her team. The senior transfer was well-accustomed to shotgun starts and 36-hole days, aiding in her 76-77-77 performance over the duration of the San Diego State Classic.
Barbaglia opened Monday with a team-low one-over 73, thanks to three birdies. Unfortunately, her final two scores did not count for the Aztecs (79 and 81). SDSU heavily depended on Barbaglia in the fall and will need her coming down the stretch in the spring. Consistent rounds in the low 70s will be a key component in both her and the Aztecs’ success moving forward.
Kato struggled Monday morning, posting a less-than-impressive nine-over 81 with seven bogeys or worse. However, she persevered and shot two-over (74) and even-par (72) in her final two rounds. Mental fortitude will be a huge advantage for Kato during her sophomore season and beyond because of the challenge golf presents. If Kato can consistently bounce back from poor scores, she will pay dividends for her team in future key scenarios.
Freshmen Emma Delwes and Emilia Omander were vying for the individual title at the San Diego State Classic, as well.
Omander found success in her first competitive tournament at Bernardo Heights Country Club. The challenge of playing 54 holes in two days did not rattle the inexperienced German as she fired three rounds in the 70s (72-77-75). She tallied 10 birdies and also played the par-3 holes only one stroke over par. Omander finished in a tie for 27th place (eight-over 224).
Delwes carded three rounds in the 80s (83-81-89) and finished in 62nd place (37-over 253).
An incomplete team effort pained the Aztecs as they finished the San Diego State Classic in ninth place (29-over 893).
Individually, no SDSU golfer finished in the top 20. Phi placed the highest on her team at a solid six-over par 222 (tied for 21st place).
The top-ranked Stanford Cardinal took home both the team and individual trophy. They led the team competition in almost every statistical category and were the only team to finish under par (31-under 833). No. 10 Meja Örtengren fired a cumulative 15-under par 201 as she coasted to the top spot.
The Aztecs hope for a composite team effort as they venture to Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, CA to compete in The Causeway Invitational on Feb. 24 and 25.
