Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
San Diego State Farms Invitational
Women Golfers Advance To Match Play Finals In San Diego
March 24, 2015 | Women's Golf
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The University of Colorado women's golf team won its two matches here Tuesday over a pair of top 20 opponents, and in the process advanced to the finals of the San Diego State Farm Invitational.
The No. 40 Buffaloes opened the day with a 3-2 win over Oklahoma State, ranked No. 10 in the nation by Golfweek (No. 13 by GolfStat), and then came back with a win on a tiebreaker over No. 18/22 Arizona State, as the match deadlocked at 2½-2½ but Colorado had the edge in the third tiebreaker to win the round.
“I'm really proud of the team,” said Colorado head coach Anne Kelly. “We've been on a steady improvement this spring and they're all playing with a lot of heart. There's just no quit to them. They are fighting for every shot and it's fun to watch. I think match play is a great experience for our team.”
For a second straight-round, junior Jamie Oleksiew's match proved to be the difference maker for the Buffs. She was 1-under heading into the 17th hole against the Cowgirls' Isabella Deilert, and won the final two holes to finish 1-up. Oleksiew birdied No. 17 to square the match and then drained a six-foot birdie putt to secure the win.
It only took 13 holes in the day's first round for sophomore Esther Lee to defeat Oklahoma State's Kenzie Neisen, 6-and-5. Lee came out putting a great strike on the ball to go 3-up after nine and then was able to increase her lead by two more strokes after 12 holes en route to playing the shortest round amongst her teammates on Tuesday.
Freshman Brittany Fan and OSU's Emma Broze traded a 1-up lead throughout much of the morning round before Fan was able to put the match away on the 17th hole to win 2-and-1. Fan was 1-up halfway through the round and then by the time they finished 12 holes Broze had the 1-up advantage, but Fan retook the lead for good with 15 holes complete.
Junior Alexis Keating and sophomore Natalie Vivaldi each fell 5-and-4 in their respective matches. Keating dropped her decision against Golfweek's 41st-ranked player Maddie McCrary and Vivaldi dropped her match to No. 56 (Golfweek) Linnea Johansson.
The Buffs continued to play well in the afternoon to edge Arizona State in a third tiebreaker.
Keating settled down in the second round and won her match after playing 16 holes. She shot a 1-under in the round to defeat the Sun Devils' Sophia Zeeb by a final score of 3-and-2.
“I played a lot better second round,” Keating said. “I hit some really good shots and made some good putts."
Oleksiew had an up-and-down round, but found her groove to win 2-and-1 over Ashleigh Greenham. She started off 3-up after three holes and then dropped a couple holes before returning to 3-up through 15 and winning her match by two strokes. The Vancouver, British Columbia native has won all three of her matches in the event.
Fan took her opponent to a full 18 holes in what she described as “very similar to her first round.” It was a another seesaw battle and she kept it close the entire round, but fell on the final hole, 1-down to Arizona State's Monica Vaughn.
Vivaldi, who's playing in her first match play tournament, also fell in the afternoon round, but she was pleased with her effort saying, “I hung in there pretty well, but she (Noemi Jimenez of Arizona State) got the best of me in the last few holes.” Jimenez defeated Vivaldi 3-and-2.
Lee found herself in a closer battle during the day's second round, where she and Roberta Liti finished all-square. The match came down to the final hole, which they both pared and forced the third tiebreaker to decide the outcome. The third tiebreaker was determined by taking the No. 1 handicap hole on the course, No. 3 in this case and comparing Lee and Liti's individual scores on the hole. Lee birdied the hole and Liti pared it, thus giving CU the win.
Colorado plays in the championship match on Wednesday against second-seeded Tennessee. The final round begins at 8:45 a.m. MT.
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(8) Colorado def. (1) Oklahoma State, 3-2-0 |
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Jamie Oleksiew (CU) def. Isabella Deilert (OSU), 1-up |
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Maddie McCrary (OSU) def. Alexis Keating (CU), 5&4 |
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Linnea Johansson (OSU) def. Natalie Vivaldi (CU), 5&4 |
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Brittany Fan (CU) def. Emma Broze (OSU), 2&1 |
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Esther Lee (CU) def. Kenzie Neisen (OSU), 6&5 |
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TEAM SCORES – Championship Bracket |
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(8) Colorado def. (1) Oklahoma State, 3-2-0 |
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(5) Arizona State def. (4) Pepperdine, 3-2-0 |
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(2) Tennessee def. (7) Cal, 4-1-0 |
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(6) San Diego State def. (3) UNLV, 3-2-0 |
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TEAM SCORES – Consolation Bracket |
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(9) Houston def. (16) UC Irvine, 4-1-0 |
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(13) Michigan def. (12) Boise State, 3-1-1 |
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(15) New Mexico ties (10) Kansas, 2-2-1* |
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(11) Long Beach State def. (14) Nevada, 3-2-0 |
*Kansas wins on first tiebreaker
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(8) Colorado ties (5) Arizona State, 2-2-1* |
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Jamie Oleksiew (CU) def. Ashleigh Greenham (ASU), 2&1 |
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Alexis Keating (CU) def. Sophia Zeeb (ASU), 3&2 |
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Noemi Jimenez (ASU) def. Natalie Vivaldi (CU), 4&3 |
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Monica Vaughn (ASU) def. Brittany Fan (CU), 1-up |
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Esther Lee (CU) ties Roberta Liti (ASU), all-square |
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TEAM SCORES – Championship Bracket |
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(8) Colorado ties (5) Arizona State, 2-2-1* |
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(1) Oklahoma State def. (4) Pepperdine, 3-2-0 |
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(2) Tennessee def. (6) San Diego State, 4-1-0 |
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(3) UNLV def. (7) Cal, 3-2-0 |
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TEAM SCORES – Consolation Bracket |
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(9) Houston def. (13) Michigan, 4-1-0 |
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(16) UC Irvine def. (12) Boise State, 3-2-0 |
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(11) Long Beach State def. (10) Kansas, 3-2-0 |
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(15) New Mexico def. (14) Nevada, 3-1-1 |
*CU wins on third tiebreaker
Players Mentioned
