March 6, 2012

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Final Results

TARZANA, Calif. - The Pepperdine women's golf team held off top-ranked UCLA to win the 2012 Bruin Wave Invitational on Tuesday by two strokes at El Caballero Country Club.

Pepperdine opened the day with an 11-shot lead over eighth-ranked Oklahoma State and a 15-stroke advantage over UCLA, but it came down to the very end as the Bruins (despite having only four players in their lineup) edged closer throughout the course of the day. The Waves finished at 903 (292-296-315), with UCLA at 905 and Oklahoma State at 911.

Scoring was way up for the majority of teams compared to Monday, and all five Waves in the lineup recorded between a 78 and an 80. But, Pepperdine's players finished strong to claim the title. On the 17th and 18th holes, the Waves had nine pars and freshman Somin Lee (Denver, Colo./Overland HS) birdied the 18th.

"It feels good to win," Pepperdine Coach Laurie Gibbs said. "It's been a while. What's neat is that our young team learned a lot. They closed it out and really got the job done. All in all it was a great tournament."

It was the Waves' first victory of the season. Their last title came at the 2011 West Coast Conference Championships, and their last regular-season victory was the 2011 UNLV Spring Invitational.

San Diego State's Christine Wong, the leader after the first and second rounds, went on to win the individual crown by four strokes despite a final-round 78. She finished with a 3-over 219 (68-73-78).

Pepperdine freshman Alina Ching (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) wound up in second place at 223 (74-69-80), and sophomore Grace Na (Alameda, Calif./Alameda HS) tied for third place at 224 (71-74-79).

Two other Waves turned in top-20 results. Senior Kaitlin Drolson (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) tied for 11th place at 229 (73-77-79) and sophomore Liv Cheng (Auckland, New Zealand) took 15th at 230 (74-78-78).

Lee tied for 23rd place at 234 (79-76-79), and playing as an individual, sophomore Danielle Gillaspy (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph's HS) tied for 44th at 242 (79-81-82).

Over the 54 holes, Ching had nine birdies, third-most in the tournament, while Na and Lee had seven apiece, tied for fifth-most.

Playing under colder and windier conditions on Tuesday, the average score ballooned to 81.47 after being in the 79s on Monday.

This was the third annual Bruin Wave Invitational (USC and UCLA won the first two).

Pepperdine is next in action at the Battle at Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, Calif., on March 18-20.

Team Scores: 1. Pepperdine 292-296-315=903; 2. UCLA 300-303-302=905; 3. Oklahoma State 293-306-312=911; 4. UNLV 306-303-311=920; 5. San Diego State 305-302-319=926; 6. Stanford 313-301-315=929; 7. Oregon State 309-316-316=941; 8. New Mexico 299-324-319=942; T9. Long Beach State 319-315-324=958; T9. Wisconsin 328-310-320=958; 11. Washington State 317-322-321=960; 12. New Mexico State 322-328-325=975; 13. BYU 320-318-341=979; 14. Cal State Northridge 334-326-321=981; 15. Sonoma State 336-339-344=1019.

Top Individuals: 1. Christine Wong (San Diego State) 68-73-78=219; 2. Alina Ching (Pepperdine) 74-69-80=223; T3. Erynne Lee (UCLA) 75-73-76=224; T3. Grace Na (Pepperdine) 71-74-79=224; 5. Charlotte Brooks (UNLV) 75-72-78=225.

Other Pepperdine Scores: T11. Kaitlin Drolson 73-77-79=229; T12. Liv Cheng 74-78=152; T25. Somin Lee 79-76=155; T47. * Danielle Gillaspy 79-81=160.

* playing as an individual