The record setting season for the Point Loma women’s golf team continued on Tuesday when it captured the title of PLNU Reach 2016 held at the Riverwalk Golf Course by 14 strokes with a score of 620 (+44).
This marked the first time PLNU has ever won a home tournament, and they did it in impressive fashion from the opening tee off. Point Loma built an 18 stroke lead after the first round with a score of 300 (+12) and it had four players tied for fourth or better. The Sea Lions stayed atop the leaderboard with a 320 (+32) to win their third title of the season, and fifth in the last two years.
“Everyone is still nipping at your heels (on day 2) so the key is to keep the girls comfortable and confident,” said first year Point Loma head coach Noel Allen. “They just need to play against par and they would be fine. Leads can slip away quickly but we didn’t let it happen.”
Point Loma had all four of its final scorers finish eighth or better, and Samantha Stockton and Haley Fuller tied for third with a 153 (+9). Stockton registered a 73 (+1) in the first round, and backed it up with an 80 (+8) in round 2. The senior from Rocklin, Calif. (Forest Charter HS) tied for third in the tournament with five birdies, and helped pace the field in par-5 scoring (-1). Fuller followed her first round score of 75 (+3) with a 78 (+6) on Tuesday. The sophomore tied for third at PLNU Reach 2016 with 20 pars and was second in par-4 scoring.
Rima Antous had her best career finish. The Danbury, Conn., native registered a 156 (+12) over the two days to take sixth place at the tournament. She was one of PLNU’s most consistent golfers as she posted a 76 (+4) on Monday and an 80 (+8) on Tuesday. Antous was tied for second in par-3 scoring (+1) and for first in par-5 scoring (-1) with Stockton and others. She also was fourth with four birdies in the tournament. Her previous career-best finish was 19th at the 2015 Cal State San Marcos Fall Classic.
Michelle Picca tied for eighth on the leaderboard at PLNU Reach 2016 with a 158 (+14) to close out the scoring for Point Loma. She shot a 76 (+4) in the first round and an 82 (+10) in the second. She collected three birdies and 18 pars. The freshman shot an even-par on the Par-5s.
“To see our team come together as a unit during this tournament was wonderful,” said Allen. “We morphed from individuals into even more of a team, and it was beautiful thing to watch.
“It was nice to start the second half of the season at home and it gives us a big boost to jump up in the rankings,” added Allen. “I have no doubt in my mind that we can make it to Nationals.”
In addition to winning their first home tournament this season, PLNU has also set its low single-round (286, -2), low two-round score 586 (+10) and wins in a season.
It was Redlands’ Caroline Ordian that took home the individual title with an even-par 144. She posted a 72 (E) in each round to remain atop the leaderboard during both days and win the tournament by five strokes over Saint Martin’s Jennifer Liedes.
The Sea Lions will be off next week before continuing their season at the California Baptist Women’s Invitational on Feb. 22-23.
