ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Senior Kacie Komoto fired a 6-under 66 on Tuesday to finish in seventh-place at the 38th Annual Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico Championship Course. Komoto's 208, the third-lowest 54-hole score in Wildcats history, led Northwestern to a fourth-place result at the season-opening event.
After weather cut Monday's second round short, Komoto wrapped up her second 18 on Tuesday morning to post back-to-back 1-under 71's in Rounds 1 and 2.
She teed off Tuesday's shotgun start final round with pars at Nos. 5 and 6, birdied No. 7 and parred No. 8 before a double-bogey on No. 9. But the Wildcats veteran never lost her composure, and sizzled through the final 13 holes of the competition. Komoto birdied Nos. 11 and 12, and then Nos. 16 and 17 and, after pars on Nos. 18 and 1, she birded Nos. 2, 3 and 4 to finish the round. Her final round 66 tied for the second-best loop in school history, and equals the 66 she carded last spring at the 2016 Hurricane Invitationals.
Komoto's 208 is the best 54-hole tournament score of her college career, and the third-best in program history, trailing only Hannah Kim's 199 and Stephanie Lau's 206, both recorded last season.
The Honolulu native did most of her damage on the Par-4 offerings at the UNM Championship Course. She played the Par-4 holes at 10-under, two shots better than eventual tournament champion Esther Lee, and six strokes better than anyone else in the field.
Komoto was followed on the leaderboard by junior Sarah Cho, last year's McGuire individual champion, in 11th, and Kim and Lau in 37th.
2016 Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational – RESULTS
Northwestern – 4/16 • 287-287-281=855 (-9)
7 – Kacie Komoto -- 71-71-66=208 (-8)
T11 – Sarah Cho – 69-72-71=212 (-4)
T37 – Hannah Kim -- 74-71-74=219 (+3)
T37 – Stephanie Lau -- 73-76-70=219 (+3)
T59 – Janet Mao* -- 77-73-74=224 (+8)
T78 – Monica Matsubara -- 77-73-80=230 (+14)
* Competing as an individual
The fifteen teams jockeying for position on the leaderboard with the Wildcats this week were: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Denver, Iowa State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UNLV, Washington State.
While the McGuire always features strong competition, this year's exceptionally deep and talented field is due in part to the UNM Championship Course being slated to host a 2017 NCAA Golf Championships Regional next spring.
Northwestern competes next this weekend at the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt's Legends Club in Nashville, Tennessee. The Wildcats were runners-up at last year's Mason Rudolph, led by rookie Stephanie Lau who posted what was then the lowest 54-hole score in program history (206; since broken) to pace what was then Northwestern's lowest 54-hole team tournament score in history (849; since broken).
After weather cut Monday's second round short, Komoto wrapped up her second 18 on Tuesday morning to post back-to-back 1-under 71's in Rounds 1 and 2.
She teed off Tuesday's shotgun start final round with pars at Nos. 5 and 6, birdied No. 7 and parred No. 8 before a double-bogey on No. 9. But the Wildcats veteran never lost her composure, and sizzled through the final 13 holes of the competition. Komoto birdied Nos. 11 and 12, and then Nos. 16 and 17 and, after pars on Nos. 18 and 1, she birded Nos. 2, 3 and 4 to finish the round. Her final round 66 tied for the second-best loop in school history, and equals the 66 she carded last spring at the 2016 Hurricane Invitationals.
Komoto's 208 is the best 54-hole tournament score of her college career, and the third-best in program history, trailing only Hannah Kim's 199 and Stephanie Lau's 206, both recorded last season.
The Honolulu native did most of her damage on the Par-4 offerings at the UNM Championship Course. She played the Par-4 holes at 10-under, two shots better than eventual tournament champion Esther Lee, and six strokes better than anyone else in the field.
Komoto was followed on the leaderboard by junior Sarah Cho, last year's McGuire individual champion, in 11th, and Kim and Lau in 37th.
2016 Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational – RESULTS
Northwestern – 4/16 • 287-287-281=855 (-9)
7 – Kacie Komoto -- 71-71-66=208 (-8)
T11 – Sarah Cho – 69-72-71=212 (-4)
T37 – Hannah Kim -- 74-71-74=219 (+3)
T37 – Stephanie Lau -- 73-76-70=219 (+3)
T59 – Janet Mao* -- 77-73-74=224 (+8)
T78 – Monica Matsubara -- 77-73-80=230 (+14)
* Competing as an individual
The fifteen teams jockeying for position on the leaderboard with the Wildcats this week were: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Denver, Iowa State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UNLV, Washington State.
While the McGuire always features strong competition, this year's exceptionally deep and talented field is due in part to the UNM Championship Course being slated to host a 2017 NCAA Golf Championships Regional next spring.
Northwestern competes next this weekend at the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt's Legends Club in Nashville, Tennessee. The Wildcats were runners-up at last year's Mason Rudolph, led by rookie Stephanie Lau who posted what was then the lowest 54-hole score in program history (206; since broken) to pace what was then Northwestern's lowest 54-hole team tournament score in history (849; since broken).