Two sophomores from Colorado-based schools started the spring portion of the college season in strong fashion by posting top-three individual finishes on Tuesday.
Ellen Secor from Colorado State University recorded a college-career-best runner-up showing at The Gold Rush in Long Beach, Calif. And Robyn Choi from the University of Colorado notched her fifth top-10 showing of the season by tying for third in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
Secor (pictured), who led by three strokes going into the final round in Long Beach, posted the fourth top-10 individual showing of her college career. She carded rounds of 71-70-74 for a 1-under-par 215 total, ending up three behind Sophie Hausmann of Idaho, who won the tournament for the second straight year, this time closing with a 68.
Secor was trying to give CSU individual victories in its last two tournaments as teammate Katrina Prendergast won the UC Irvine Invitational in the Rams’ fall finale.
With Secor’s runner-up performance, CSU finished third out of the 14-team field in Long Beach.
(Updated on Feb. 15: Secor was subsequently named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week.)
As for Choi, the 28th-ranked women’s college player in the country, she went 75-72-73 for a 7-over-par 220 total in Puerto Rico. She ended up four strokes behind winner Maria Fassi of Arkansas, the fifth-ranked women’s college player in the nation.
So far this season, Choi has recorded individual college finishes that include a second, two thirds, a fifth and a seventh. The Australian played in the U.S. Women’s Open last year.
Choi helped CU place fifth in the 11-team field.
Meanwhile, another U.S. Women’s Open competitor from last year, Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and Wake Forest, opened the spring season by finishing 11th individually in the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Kupcho recorded rounds of 72-74-73 for a 6-over-par 219 total.
In addition, two Coloradans notched top-10 finishes Tuesday in the Battle at Boulder Creek in Boulder City, Nev.
Kiselya Plewe of Cortez, who plays for Weber State in Utah, finished second as rounds of 72-74-79 left her at 9-over-par 225 and five strokes behind champion Pinyada Kuvanun of Toledo.
And Morgan Sahm of Centennial, a sophomore at Northern Colorado, tied for ninth individually. She recorded scores of 81-72-79 for a 232 total. UNC placed fourth out of nine teams.
The Gold Rush
Feb. 12-13, 2018 (final) in Long Beach, Calif.
3. Colorado State (out of 14 teams; one behind leader) 297-295-300–892
2. Ellen Secor 71-70-74–215
15. Katrina Prendergast 75-75-75–225
22. Haley Greb 75-77-74–226
37. Jessica Sloot 76-74-79–229
60. Brooke Nolte 85-76-77–238
Also
30. Coloradan Anna Kennedy, BYU 80-72-76–228
Lady Puerto Rico Classic
Feb. 11-13, 2018 (final) in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
5. (out of 11 teams; best 4 scores out of 6) Colorado 310-299-298–907
3. Robyn Choi 75-72-73–220
16. Kirsty Hodgkins 80-73-74–227
20. Brittany Fan 77-76-75–228
36. Gillian Vance 79-78-76–233
45. Alisha Lau 79-82-76–237
65. Jaclyn Murray 84-85-83–252
Battle at Boulder Creek
Feb. 12-13, 2018 (final) in Boulder City, Nev.
3. (out of 9 teams) Northern Colorado 315-301-315–931
9. Morgan Sahm 81-72-79–232
13. Aili Bundy 76-79-78–233
20. Nicole Polivchak 82-81-73–236
23. Marisa Hisaki 78-74-85–237
32. Beah Cruz 80-76-85–241
48. Hanna Atkins (competing only as individual) 81-86-86–253
