Buffs Open Lamkin Invitational With a Tie and a Win

RANCHO SANTE FE, Calif. – Colorado recorded a 1-0-1 match play mark on Monday as the Buffaloes competed at the Lamkin Invitational at The Farms Golf Course.

"We are young and this is good experience. I'm glad we are here to get ready for our stroke play tournaments," head coach Anne Kelly said. "We did a little better this afternoon, but we are not quite hitting on all cylinders yet."

CU started the day with a 2-2-1 record against Central Arkansas, picking up wins from freshmen Ellie Gower and Sophie Johnson. Colorado lost the tie-breaker, which moved the Buffs into the consolation bracket where they defeated UC Irvine 3-2. Once again Gower and Johnson recorded wins and sophomore Alisha Lau picked up the third win to give CU the victory.

"We got off to a very poor start but played better at the end," Kelly said. "Malak (Bouraeda) and Alisha were down a lot early and both fought their way back. It was just a rough start; we are really rusty.

"Ellie was a real bright spot for us. She's a very good player. Sophie also played well. Issy (Simpson) is used to match play, she just had a rough day. Malak also had a rough day; she did not play her best. I was really proud of Alisha. She was highly disappointed after her first match."

Colorado will face Cal State San Marcos in the final round of match play on Tuesday for the consolation championship.

The Buffs were playing without senior Kirsty Hodgkins, who was supposed to play the Asian Amateur in Thailand, but it was cancelled at the last minute. Unfortunately that decision was made after CU had submitted its lineup, which was two sophomores and three freshmen, making it one of the youngest teams Kelly has ever had at a tournament.

MATCH PLAY RECAP VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS (Round 1)
Making her CU debut, Gower defeated Elin Kumlin, 3&1. Gower fell behind early, dropping the first two holes. Her international experience showed as she remained composed and came back to square the match on No. 11. She took the lead on No. 12 and from that point, neither player had a lead larger than 1 up until Gower sank a birdie on the par 3, No. 2, putting her 2 up. The two played square on the following hole with both making par. Gower clinched the match on No. 4 with her fourth birdie of the day.

Another freshman familiar with match play, Johnson, picked up a 1 up victory for CU against Gracen Blount. Johnson made par on No. 7 to take the early lead and stayed there the next two holes with both making par. Blount squared the match on No. 10 and that is where it would stay for the next five holes before Johnson would retake the advantage. She carded two consecutive pars on No. 16 and 17 for a 2 up lead, Blount took of the next three holes to square the match yet again with four holes remaining. Johnson went back in the lead after a birdie on No. 3, but a double-bogey brought the match back to square. Johnson did not falter and sank another birdie on No. 5 for the 1 up lead. Both made par on the last hole to give the win to Johnson.

Lau and Tania Nunez finished squared, but for the majority of the round, Nunez had the slight lead. Through the first seven holes, Nunez had built up a 4 up advantage, but being the seasoned veteran Lau is, she did not let it get to her. Lau sank a birdie on the par 3, No. 14 and followed it up with a par on No. 15 to get back within two. The two played very competitively and with two holes remaining, the match was squared. Lau took a 1 up lead after making par on No. 5, but was not able to hang on as Nunez squared the match with a par of her own on the last hole.

Central Arkansas' Pim-orn Thitisup edged Bouraeda 1 up. Thitisup took control of the match on the first hole with a par on No. 8. She increased her lead to 4 up by No. 12, but Bouraeda kept fighting and by the time the duo came back to finish the front nine, Thitisup was back to a 1 up lead. Bouraeda made a birdie on the par 4, No. 1 and the two made par on the next two holes before Boureada earned her first advantage of the match with a par on No. 4. Unfortunately it did not last as Thitisup responded with consecutive birdies to retake a 1 up lead with one hole to play. Both finished the round making par.

Simpson fell in her match to Camila Moreno, 3&2. Simpson led early, going 2 up after a birdie and par at No. 11 and No. 12. Moreno squared the match on the following hole with a birdie and would go 2 up over the next four holes. Simpson squared the match again after recording a bogey on No. 1 and a par on No. 2. Both Simpson and Moreno recorded par on No. 5, but Moreno took the lead back and won the following three holes with a pair of pars and a birdie on No. 6.

RESULTS
Central Arkansas tied Colorado, 2.5-2.5
(CU lost the second tiebreaker, which moved the Buffs into the consolation bracket)
Ellie Gower (CU) def. Elin Kumlin (CAU), 3&1
Alisha Lau (CU) vs. Tania Nunez (CAU), AS
Pim-orn Thutisup (CAU) def. Malak Bouraeda (CU), 1 up
Camila Moreno (CAU) def. Issy Simpson (CU), 3&2
Sophie Johnson (CU) def. Gracen Blount (CAU), 1 up

MATCH PLAY RECAP VS. UC IRVINE (Round 2)
Gower continued to play well in the second round, earning a 2&1 victory against Megan Yang. Yang took the early 1 up lead after the second hole, but Gower squared the match on the third hole. After that, she would take the lead and would not let go. Gower took a 4 up advantage after winning No. 13 and increased it to 5 up. Yang would take the following three holes as Gower recorded bogeys on each, but Gower rebounded and kept the 2 up lead the rest of the way.

Johnson's second win was a 3&2 result against Maddie Riggs. She made par on the first hole to go 1 up, but then recorded four straight bogeys, which put Riggs 3 up. Both recorded a bogey on No. 12, but Johnson was able to cut into the lead on the next hole as Riggs recorded a double bogey. At that point, Johnson sank back-to-back birdies to square the match and then took three of the next four holes to go 2 up. The duo made par on No. 2 and No. 3 to stay at 2 up. Johnson clinched the match on No. 4 when she made par and Riggs recorded a double.

Lau had a her eyes set on a win in the second round and that is exactly what she did, defeating Angela Bagasbas 5&4. Lau took control from the beginning, winning the first four holes. The two would battle back-and-forth, but Lau's lead would never slip below 2 up. She sank a birdie on the par 4 No. 1, which helped to seal her win after both made par on No. 2.

Simpson lost her second match of the day 1 up to Cameron Lee despite a good effort. Simpson had the advantage through seven holes at 1 up, but then Lee squared the match on the eighth hole by making a par on No. 16. Lee made par and a birdie on the following two holes to take a 2 up lead. She held that lead as both made par on the next four holes. On No. 5, Simpson made par, while Lee recorded a bogey, bringing Simpson within striking distance. Unfortunately, that was the closest Simpson would get as she could not slip past Lee.

Sienna Lyford earned a 3&2 decision against Bouraeda. The two were squared through the first two holes before Bouraeda made par to take the 1 up advantage. Lyford recorded a birdie on the next hole to square the match again. As the two battled, the match would be squared again at No. 17 and No. 1. Lyford made par on No. 2, while Bouraeda recorded a bogey, giving Lyford the 1 up advantage again. The next two holes saw both parties scoring the same, but Lyford still led 1 up. She finished the round with a pair of pars to Bouraeda's bogeys.

RESULTS
Colorado def. UC Irvine, 3-2
Ellie Gower (CU) def. Megan Yang (UCI), 2&1
Sophie Johnson (CU) def. Maddie Riggs (UCI), 3&2
Cameron Lee (UCI) def. Isabelle Simpson (CU), 1 up
Sienne Lyford (UCI) def. Malak Bouraeda (CU), 3&1
Alisha Lau (CU) def. Angela Bagasbas (UCI), 5&4

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Players Mentioned

Malak Bouraeda

Ellie Gower

Kirsty Hodgkins

Sophie Johnson

Alisha Lau

Issy Simpson