LA QUINTA, Calif. – No. 9 Pepperdine women's golf holds a one-stroke lead following two rounds at the Yale Invitational West, held at PGA West - Nicklaus Course in La Quinta.

Monday's opening 36 holes saw the Waves compile rounds of -5 and -3, as one of three teams to sit under par heading into Tuesday's final round.

The Waves lead the tournament at -8, with Kansas in second at -7 and Kansas State coming in at -6. The three teams were all tied for the lead at -5 following the first round, along with San Diego State.

Four Waves occupy spots in the top-10 individually, led by Eunseo Choi and Yingzhi Zhu who are in a tie for third at -3. Kansas' Lyla Louderbaugh holds the individual lead at -8, holding a three-stroke advantage.

"The players played well today and finished both rounds strong," said head coach Laurie Gibbs. "We look forward to a competitive final round tomorrow and then our fourth tournament in four weeks next Monday in Texas."

Building off her career-best third-place finish last week at the Fresno State Classic, Yingzhi Zhu once again finds herself in contention through 36 holes sitting at -3. Zhu tabbed rounds of 70 and 71 on the day to put herself in third-place individually, recording five birdies in each round. Zhu was one of three golfers in the field to be under par in each round today.

Eunseo Choi joined Zhu as one of the three to go under par in both rounds, firing rounds of 71 and 70 to begin the tournament at -3 and sit in a tie for third. Choi carded three birdies in each round, and had just one bogey in her final 33 holes of the day after beginning +2 through three holes. 

Jeneath Wong is in a tie for ninth individually, at -1 for the tournament so far. Wong began the day with a 71 in the morning, bookending her round with birdies on holes two and one, having four total birdies on the round. Wong followed up with an even par-72 in the afternoon, with a pair of birdies and bogeys to remain in the top-10.

Kylee Choi also finished her day -1 to match Wong in ninth individually. Choi had consecutive rounds of 71 and 72 as well, carding just three bogeys across her 36 holes while firing in four total birdies. 

Grace Anderson rounded out the Pepperdine lineup with a two-round score of +7, putting her in 33rd individually. Anderson shot a 75 in the morning with three birdies, with a seven on the par-3 eighth keeping her from shooting under par on the round. She followed up with a 76 in the afternoon.

Competing individually, Nishna Patel sits at +12 for the Waves, in 41st on the individual leaderboard. Patel shot a 79 in the morning, before getting in with a 77 in the afternoon in a round that featured four birdies.

Team Leaderboard
1. No. 9 Pepperdine (-8)
2. No. 39 Kansas (-7)
3. No. 27 Kansas State (-6)
4. San Diego State (+4)
5. No. 37 Virginia Tech (+6)
6. No. 35 Cal State Fullerton (+10)
7. Princeton (+20)
8. Colorado State (+26)
9. Gonzaga (+32)
10. Yale (+45)

Pepperdine Leaderboard
T3. Eunseo Choi (-3)
T3. Yingzhi Zhu (-3)
T9. Kylee Choi (-1)
T9. Eunseo Choi (-1)
T33. Grace Anderson (+7)
T41. Nishna Patel (+12)

Full tournament results can be found here.

Tomorrow's final round will tee off at 8:15 a.m. with a shotgun start as the Waves will look to win consecutive tournaments for the first time since the Fall of 2023. Pepperdine will be paired up with Kansas, Kansas State and San Diego State off of holes 1-5.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S GOLF
Pepperdine women's golf has consistently been one of the top collegiate programs in the country under head coach Laurie Gibbs, exemplified by the current streak of 26 straight seasons with an NCAA Regional appearance. Having advanced to the NCAA Championships on 14 of those occasions, the Waves also boast 21 WCC Championships since 1998. Since the year 2000, 15 athletes have garnered All-American honors with a total of 31 selections.

FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's golf news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWGOLF.

ABOUT SVN2 INDOOR GOLF
The Pepperdine women's golf 2025-26 season is sponsored by SVN2 Golf. SVN2 Golf is a Southern California based premium indoor golf simulation experience that uses advanced TrackMan technology to provide realistic gameplay, instant swing feedback, and practice tools for golfers of all levels. The facility offers a high-tech, immersive experience with a wide variety of legendary and exclusive courses, a relaxed, self-service environment, and opportunities for leagues and events. Facilities in Newbury Park and Malibu were joined in 2025 by new venues in Woodland Hills and Santa Clarita. For more information, visit www.svn2golf.com.