New Mexico Lobos Women’s Golf – At 2015 Mountain West Championships
Where: Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club – Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Final Team Results: 1- San Diego State 288-301-287=876. 2- New Mexico 303-300-278=881. 3- San Jose State 293-296-297=886. 4- UNLV 299-298-297=894. 5- Nevada – 299-296-302=897. 6- Colorado State 304-299-310=913. 7- Boise State 301-301-313=915. 7 (tie)- Fresno State 312-300-303=915. 9- Wyoming 312-325-316=953. .
Top Three Individuals: 1- Manon Molle, New Mexico, 72-71-67=210 (won in playoff). 2- Milagros Chaves, SDSU, 66-74-70=210. 3- Dana Finkelstein, UNLV, 74-69-73=216.
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The New Mexico Lobos will be bringing home a Mountain West champion – Manon Molle.
The Lobos’ talented sophomore threw out a blistering 5-under-par 67 Wednesday on the final day of the Mountain West Championships and then beat San Diego State’s Milagros Chaves in a playoff.
Molle carded a birdie on the first playoff hole – the par-5, No. 18th hole – while Chaves, the leader after 18 holes and 36 holes pulled in with a par. The 54-hole tournament was played on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club – Rancho Mirage, Calif.
“Mimo (Molle) just kept getting up and down all day,” said Lobo Coach Jill Trujillo. “She had some great saves for par at the end. She made about a five-foot putt for birdie in the playoff to get the win.”
The Lobos almost made it a clean sweep with one of the more dramatic rallies in league history as the Lobos stormed from sixth place after 36 holes to put a scare into eventual champion, San Diego State, which held on for a five-shot win.
“I never thought I’d be so excited over second place,” said Trujillo. “This ranks right up there with winning it last year. It was an incredible day. It was something to watch. We had 21 birdies as a team.”
UNM began the day 14 shots behind the Aztecs and San Jose State, but the Lobos’ best team card this season by 22 shots had the Aztecs looking over their shoulders all day.
Molle posted the best round of the day and the two 69s that followed her on the Wednesday’s leaderboard help explain the Lobos’ dramatic charge. The 69s were on the cards of Lobo freshmen Ingrid Gutierrez and Alexandra Moisand, who tied for the eighth spot 12 shots off the lead.
“They had a mindset to go out there and play with a purpose,” said Trujillo. “They knew they could play this way. They just had to go out and make it happen.”
The New Mexico charge was amazing, stunning and probably unexpected for just about everyone who wasn’t wearing Lobo colors at the Mountain West Championships.
The New Mexico team that Lobo Coach Jill Trujillo knew was hiding behind a lot of youth and a few too many bogeys showed up big time at the Mountain West chase and almost brought the conference to its knees by throwing out a 278 over the final 18 holes.
It was the Lobos best team score of the season in a tournament format by 22 shots and the best round in the 2015 Mountain West Championships by nine shots. The Lobos’ team record for 18 holes is 277 also shot at the Mountain West Tournament in a losing cause in 2004. The Lobos shot 11-under Wednesday which ties the program record for an 18-hole round under par.
There was no question which school had the best team Wednesday on the final round, but the Lobos had too big a hill to climb. It was the first title for San Diego State and the first time the team trophy went to a school not named New Mexico or UNLV.
The charge not only was forged by brilliant golf, but also came from gutsy play down the stretch which was a point of emphasis for Trujillo’s young Lobos in their bid to defend their 2014 MW crown.
Consider: Molle did not have a bogey on the back nine. Moisand had four birdies and no bogeys on the final nine. Gutierrez had one birdie and four pars on the final five holes. Saulnier had five birdies on the final nine holes and birdied the final three holes.
The only major blemish on Saulnier’s card was a triple bogey on the par-4 No. 6 hole. Saulnier’s final nine holes were impressive as she made the turn with a 41 and finished with a 32.
“Eva’s comeback on the back nine was fantastic,” said Trujillo. “But they all went out there and just fought really hard.”
The Aztecs were tied with San Jose State going into the final round, but had an ace in the hole as their No. 2 golfer, Sirene Blair, had not contributed to the team total over the first 36 holes. Blair shot a 1-under 71 on Wednesday to help SDSU to the title. The Aztecs also got solid golf from their No. 5 golfer, Paige Spiranac, who had a 72 on the first round and contributed to the team total on Wednesday with a 76.
The final rounds posted by the four Lobos who contributed to the team’s total were outstanding especially when you consider those players’ scoring average going into the final 18 holes.
Molle took a 74.58 average into the MW tournament and shot a 67. Saulnier had a 79.04 average over 23 rounds and shot a 73. Gutierrez had a 78.78 average with a low round of 74 prior to the MW Championships and she carded a 69. Moisand , who shot a 69 Wednesday, actually had a previous 69 for her low, but her next best score was a 74. She brought a 77.61 average to California.
UNM’s team average was 311.04 coming to the Dinah Shore track and fired that 278.
In March, the Lobos lost to UNLV by 57 shots and they beat the Rebels by 13 shots at the Mountain West chase.