KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The #26 Pepperdine women's golf team closed out the fall campaign on Tuesday, closing out the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate tied for third-place with a score of 852 (287-285-280).  Two Waves finished in the top-10, led by both Jeneath Wong and Lion Higo who shot 2-under to tie for seventh overall.
 
 
The Waves shot a 4-under in the final round of the tournament and remained even with par throughout three rounds at the par-71 Cherokee Country Club.  The team tied with Maryland, who shot 7-under to move up three spots, and was five strokes behind #9 Ole Miss.  #27 UCF took home the title with a 17-under 835 through three rounds, including an 11-under today.
 
 
In the three tournaments Pepperdine competed in this fall, the Waves won two and finished top-three in all of them.  With Higo's fall performance included, she now has a career scoring average of 73.40 which currently ranks third in the Pepperdine women's golf record books.  
 
PLAYER SCORE

• Sophomore Jeneath Wong (Melbourne, Australia) put in a solid performance for the Waves this weekend, finishing with a score of 211 (69-70-72) to tie for seventh.  She amassed nine birdies overall, including a pair in the final round today.
• Senior Lion Higo (Gold Coast, Australia) also tied for seventh with a score of 211 (70-72-69).  She was good for seven birdies overall with a trio of them in today's round.  After a bogey on the second hole today, she remained untarnished the rest of the round and birdied the seventh, eighth and 10^th holes.  Higo also eagled hole 11 in yesterday's second round, one of only 10 golfers to have achieved the feat at least once in the tournament.
• Senior Kaleiya Romero (San Jose, Calif.) posted the best round of the day for the Waves with a 3-under 68 today.  She tied for 27^th with a score of 216 (70-78-68) this week.  She led Pepperdine with 11 birdies throughout the weekend, posting five in the final round today.  She opened the round without a bogey through the first 12 holes, picking up birdies on holes five, 11 and 12 throughout as well.  She had five birdies today.
• Junior Lauren Gomez (Murrieta, Calif.) finished tied for 42^nd with a score of 221 (78-72-71).  She added six birdies overall, including a pair of them in today's round.
• Freshman Helen Chu (Guangzhou, China) posted a score of 225 (78-71-76) to finish tied for 56^th.  She tabbed eight birdies through three rounds.

 
NEXT UP
The Waves will pick the season back up on February 4-6 with the Therese Hession Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif. 
 
THE NUMBERS
Team Standings: 1. UCF 835; 2. Ole Miss 847; T3. Pepperdine 852; T3. Maryland 852; 5. Louisville 855; 6. Clemson 862; T7. NC State 866; T7. Kansas State 866; 9. Tennessee 867; 10. Kent State 869; 11. Chattanooga 883; 12. Wisconsin 887; 13. Kansas 888; 14. East Tennessee State 905.
 
Individual Leaders: 1. Molly Smith (UCF) 201; 2. Manassanan Chotikabhukkana (Tennessee) 206; 3. Leon Takagi (Kent State) 208; T4. Nicha Kanpai (Maryland) 209; T4. Justine Fournand (Ole Miss) 209; T4. Patricie Mackova (Maryland) 209; T7. Jeneath Wong (Pepperdine) 211; T7. Lion Higo (Pepperdine) 211; T7. Caitlyn Macnab (Ole Miss) 211.