San Francisco Men Win West Coast Conf. Championship
HOLLISTER, Calif. (April 19, 2011) -- The University of San Francisco men and Pepperdine University women both completed wire-to-wire title runs at the 2011 West Coast Conference Golf Championships on Tuesday afternoon at San Juan Oaks Golf Club. The two-day event featured eight men's and six women's teams over 36 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday.
The men's team title is the Dons' second in the last three years and 10th overall since the event began in 1971. San Francisco won its first championship in 1971, seven more in a 10-year span from 1981-1990 and then regained the crown in 2009. The Dons wrapped up the title on the strength of three golfers finishing in the top six: junior Taylor Travis (T-1st ), freshman James Back (3rd) and sophomore Ji Hwan Park (6th).
San Francisco led by two shots after the first round and 10 after two rounds before holding on to a six-shot win over 2010 champion Pepperdine. The Dons finished at four-under par (860), while the Waves (+2, 866), San Diego (+7, 871), Saint Mary's (+12, 878) and Santa Clara (+24, 888) rounded out the top five. Portland and Gonzaga tied for sixth (+36, 900) with LMU two shots back (+38, 902).
Travis also brought home the 2011 individual championship to USF by defeating Alex Ching of San Diego on the second playoff hole (both playoff holes were on the 489-yard, par five, ninth hole). Travis, who tied with Ching at four-under par 212, is USF's first individual championship since Robert Frye in 2004 and 11th overall.
Back finished third with a three-under par 213, while Pepperdine senior Andrew Putnam and Gonzaga sophomore Travis Johnsen tied for fourth (-2, 214).
The 20th-ranked Waves captured their 10th straight WCC Women's Golf Championship and 13th in the 15-year history of the event with a 16-over par 880. The 36-shot margin victory was the largest in the event since Pepperdine won the 2008 event by 37 shots.
Gonzaga finished in second place at 52-over par (916) to record its best WCC Women's Golf Championship finish in program history. San Francisco (+59, 923), Santa Clara (+71, 935), Seattle (+122, 986) and Portland (+141, 1005) rounded out the field. Seattle was competing in the event for the first time as an affiliate member in the sport of women's golf.
Freshman Grace Na of Pepperdine rallied to win the women's individual title with a 54-hole score of one-over par 217 (72-68-75). Na's victory was the 10th individual conference title in a row for the Waves, and her 54-hole total of one-over par was the lowest in the event since the Waves' Carolina Llano in 2003 (-8, 211, Riverbend GC).
Pepperdine sophomore Danielle Kang, the 2010 U.S. Amateur Champion finished second at two-over par (218) and Wave junior Kaitlin Drolson was third at four-over par (220). Seniors Tinna Johannsdottir of San Francisco and Miki Ueoka tied for fourth at eight-over(224) to round out the top five.
The WCC men's and women's golf all-conference awards will be announced on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE WCC Championship
54 hole men's collegiate championship of the
West Coast Conference. Team (best four scores out
of
five players each round) and individual competitions.
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