March 4, 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. -
No. 12 California rallied from two shots back to start the day to win the Spartan Invitational by five shots Tuesday at the Almaden Country Club. Cal shot a 301 (+13) to finish at 899, while host San Jose State placed second at 904.
"We're excited to win the tournament," said Cal head coach Nancy McDaniel, whose team began the fall by winning the Ram Fall Classic. "We played very consistent golf. Allie, Pia and Shannon came up big for us with top 10 finishes. We won by five shots, but it got close at the end, so it was good competition. To pull out a win is always satisfying."
UC Irvine took third at 906, followed by Washington (911) and San Francisco (912) to round out the top five at the 15-team tournament. Last year, the Bears tied for second with Colorado, with San Jose State grabbing top honors.
Junior Allison Goodman and freshman Pia Halbig tied for second at 220 (+4) to lead all Cal golfers. Goodman carded a 72 in the final round, while Halbig shot a 76. Goodman posted 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey on the day. Goodman led all golfers at the tournament in par-4 scoring at 4.03 (-1), and Halbig was tops in par-5 scoring at 4.58 (-5).
Cal junior Shannon Yocum also recorded a top 10 showing, tying for seventh at 225 (+9) following a score of 76 today. Yocum and Halbig tied for fifth in birdies over the 54 holes with seven.
Bears sophomore Roseanne Niven placed 36th at 234, and fired a 77 in the final round for her best score of the tournament. Freshman Andrea Waters tied for 63rd (249) at her first collegiate event.
UC Irvine's Salanee Henderson won the individual title for the second straight year with a 54-hole score of two-over 218.
Cal returns to action at the Duck Invitational March 24-25 in Eugene, Ore.
Spartan Invitational
Final of Three Rounds
Almaden Country Club
Par 72, 6179 yards
Team Results (15): 1. California 899 (299-299-301), 2. San Jose State 904 (297-299-308), 3. UC Irvine 906 (298-302-306), 4. Washington 911 (302-299-310), 5. San Francisco 912 (308-304-300), 6. North Carolina 915 (305-304-306), 7t. Colorado 921 (311-307-303), 7t. Oregon State 921 (309-313-299), 9. Fresno State 932 (314-311-307), 10. Colorado State 940 (322-317-301), 11. Hawaii 945 (318-312-315), 12. Santa Clara 955 (317-313-325), 13. Long Beach State 967 (311-320-336), 14. Idaho 977 (324-328-325), 15. Gonzaga 1004 (332-343-329).
Top Three Individuals: 1. Selanee' Henderson, UC Irvine 218 (71-72-75), 2t. Pia Halbig, Cal, 220 (73-71-76), 2t. Allison Goodman, Cal 220 (73-75-72).
Other Cal Scores: 7t. Shannon Yocum 225 (75-74-76), 36. Roseanne Niven 234 (78-79-77), 63t. Andrea Waters 249 (82-82-85).
