LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Tiffany Le tied for 6th among over more than 100 individuals and UC Riverside tied for seventh in the 20-team field after the third and final round Wednesday at the New Mexico State Aggie Invitational.
The Highlanders carded a final-round 298 as a team on Wednesday, a 10-over that was seven strokes behind UCR's strongest round as a team in Tuesday's Round 2, as UC Riverside finished at +26 for the tournament in a tie for seventh place with Long Beach State.
"This was a solid first event for us to get the season started," said head coach
Mary Ritchie. "We have a couple of things to tighten up before our next two events but so far, I love what I'm seeing. We have some strong competitors in each of our players and I think we are on track to have a great year."
Tiffany Le hammered home four birdies and an eagle on the 8th hole to offset four bogies and finish with her second straight under-par round for the Highlanders.
Mylan Hirata was the next-best golfer Wednesday for UCR, carding a 1-over 73 to finish in a tie for 43rd at +11 after 54 holes.
Kate Villegas finished in a tie for 14th in the tournament, her first-round 69 preserving her overall score as she followed her first round with a 74 and Wednesday's 76, 3-under for the event.
Nicole Le shot a 6-over 78 Wednesday to place tied for 59th, while
Vanessa Betancourt ended tied for 69th at +20 overall.
Incarnate Word held off host New Mexico State to win the event by one stroke at 1-under, with Ellen Nicholas of UIW the individual winner, finishing at 8-under
The Highlanders will continue their autumn at the Ptarmigan Classic Oct. 17-19 in Fort Collins, Colo., followed by the Battle at Boulder Creek, held Oct. 24-26 in Las Vegas.
