Matt Weir / The Collegian
The women’s golf team finished third in their home tournament the FS Lexus Invitational
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Despite the scattered rain and gloomy weather conditions, the Fresno State women’s golf team clinched third in their only home tournament of the season on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs hosted their sixth annual Fresno Lexus Classic at Copper River Country Club March 1-2. The tournament’s field consisted of 13 teams, Fresno State, Boise State, Cal Poly, Nevada, Eastern Washington, Cal State Fullerton, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Portland State and Gonzaga.
The Dogs finished a three round total of 34-over par (301-296-301–898).
Senior Hali Coppin led the team, shooting a career best 3-under par for a 69 in Monday’s second round before heading into Tuesday.
“When I first started, the nerves kind of hit me, but then I started to calm down and get back into the swing of things,” Coppin said. “At some points, it got really windy and rainy, but I just didn’t let it affect me. I was too busy thinking about other things on the course.”
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Coppin made seven birdies Monday, five of which were in the second round, followed by two birdies and a par over her final three holes on Tuesday. The senior Bulldog finished sixth overall.
Teammates Louisa Lies (74-75-72””221) and Lindi Covarrubias (75-75-79-229) also led the boards throughout the tournament. Lies shot 5-under par tying for 15th after the first two rounds before making her way up to an 11th place finish on Tuesday at 5-over par. Covarrubias finished one shot behind and tied for 17th Monday but finished 23rd in the final round.
Senior Marion Pia Escandon (76-78-78-232) finished 38th, while teammate Shaylee Yano came from behind and finished 48th after finishing Monday in 54th.
Coppin and her teammates will spend their upcoming week of practice focusing on the basic mechanics that helped them prepare for their home tournament, Coppin said.
Matt Weir / The Collegian
“We’ll be concentrating a lot on our short game during practice,” Coppin said. “We’ll focus a lot on our chipping, pitching and putting.”
Coppin said she is excited for the upcoming event in San Jose, but enjoyed the excitement of hosting a tournament at home.
“I always love playing at home, but at the same time it puts a little pressure on you,” Coppin said. “It’s fun though, I always like having a home crowd rooting for me.”
Up next, the Bulldogs will head north to play in the Juli Inkster Invitational hosted by San Jose State March 8-9.
