Completed Event: Women's Golf at Leadership and Golf Invitational on September 15, 2025 , , T-6th of 16
W Golf
at Leadership and Golf Invitational
T-6th of 16
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Wednesday, April 18
Phoenix, Ariz.
Grand Canyon
at
WAC Championship
GCU, Patchana win WAC titles
4/18/2018 6:08:00 PM | Women's Golf, Paul Coro
Lopes dethrone 4-time champ NMSU by 1 stroke
FINAL RESULTS
Freshman Siripatsorn Patchana, admittedly shaking, hovered over a 1-foot putt Wednesday as her Grand Canyon teammates looked like runners ready to race off a nearby greenside hill.
After five Lopes played 54 holes each over three days, it was not until the last player's putt fell on the last hole that GCU had claimed its first title at the Western Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championship.
Patchana's teammates raced onto the green to douse her with water from their bottles and embrace her. They were celebrating two WAC championships because Patchana also won the individual title by setting a WAC tournament record with a score of six-under 207.
GCU women's golf becomes the Lopes athletic program's first NCAA Division IÂ postseason qualifier as a team. The team will learn its NCAA Regional destination on April 25.
"For them to come together like this, it's amazing," GCU head coach Lauren Giesecke said. "They are a special, special group. Coming into this job (in 2015), this was my goal – 2018 WAC Championship. It was them coming together, being friends, helping each other on the range, putting, doing contests, staying after practice on their own, doing what they needed to do. That's what you don't see behind the scenes but that's what got us a championship."
The Lopes entered the third round in third place, trailing leader Seattle by five strokes and four-time defending champion New Mexico State by two strokes at The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix. The Lopes and Aggies were tightly contested for Wednesday's back nine to set up GCU senior Deanna Salvatori ending a frustrating day with a championship-saving putt.
Salvatori, who entered the tourney ranked 92rd in the nation, played the tournament's final 15 holes without her most frequently used club -- a gap wedge. The club's shaft snapped on her backswing at the third hole Wednesday and the frustration built as she had an uncharacteristic seven-over round entering the 18th hole.
Salvatori reached the par-five green's rough on two shots but misfired her pitch, leaving it on the edge of the green.
Two days after making ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 with a bunker shot birdie, Salavtori ended her tournament with a birdie by sinking that 20-foot putt in her team's one-stroke championship victory.
"Making that putt was the highlight of the week," Salvatori said. "Because my whole team got to share in the victory."
When the tournament was over, Savlatori hugged Patchana to express her pride in seeing the freshman win the WAC title.
"I did it for you," she told Salvatori, who Giesecke calls "the mom figure" of the team.
Patchana took command of the individual race when she birdied three of the front nine's final four holes to take a five-stroke lead. Patchana (six-under) and fellow Thai golfer Pun Chanachai of New Mexico State (three-under) were the only tournament golfers to finish under par.
"Siri played amazing," Giesecke said. "She's a very talented golfer. Some of the shots she hit out there were just unreal. They were very fun to watch. Her personality and how she interacts with the girls helps just as much as her scores."
Patchana said she woke up Wednesday nervous for the final round but tried to keep to her routine from breakfast to warm-ups. She entered the final round with a two-stroke lead, birdied the first hole Wednesday and left the 18th hole saying, "I just did that," as she hugged Giesecke
.
"This tournament is really big for me," Patchana said. "I wanted this for my team. I wanted this for the seniors, especially Deanna. I really wanted to make it count for her. No words can explain the feelings."
But in a one-stroke team win over three rounds, every Lope was crucial from the on-course coaching of Giesecke and assistant coach Kelli Bowers to the play of sophomores Carolina Sandstrom and Courtney Vogel and freshman Alexis Linam.
Sandstrom tied for sixth place with three rounds of two-over 73.
"I'm so beyond proud of Carolina," Giesecke said. "She has done amazing things this year. She doesn't get that much attention but we took her scores all three rounds. We don't have to go help her a whole lot. She makes a bogey. She calms down and will go out and make a birdie."
Vogel bounced back from a rough first two rounds to finish with a crucial final round of one-under 70. She was one of seven players to fire a below-par round in the tournament.
"It was what we discussed this morning and we knew it was coming," Giesecke said. "It was just a matter of time before she got everything together and started dropping putts."
Linam came on strong this spring, taking second place when GCU notched its season's first tournament victory last week at the Bobcat Spring Invitational. That carried over to the first round on Monday, when her 73 helped GCU take the team lead.
"We knew Alexis was going to grind it out," Giesecke said. "The girls knew they could rely on her. Having that confidence in her game, it helped them play better."
Every shot mattered when GCU's 868 was one stroke better than NMSU's 869 to set off an afternoon celebration. The Lopes wore gold WAC champs sunglasses, danced with a WAC champions sign, wore WAC champions T-shirts and left with the WAC championship trophy.
"This is truly amazing," Giesecke said.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Â
Freshman Siripatsorn Patchana, admittedly shaking, hovered over a 1-foot putt Wednesday as her Grand Canyon teammates looked like runners ready to race off a nearby greenside hill.
After five Lopes played 54 holes each over three days, it was not until the last player's putt fell on the last hole that GCU had claimed its first title at the Western Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championship.
Patchana's teammates raced onto the green to douse her with water from their bottles and embrace her. They were celebrating two WAC championships because Patchana also won the individual title by setting a WAC tournament record with a score of six-under 207.
GCU women's golf becomes the Lopes athletic program's first NCAA Division IÂ postseason qualifier as a team. The team will learn its NCAA Regional destination on April 25.
"For them to come together like this, it's amazing," GCU head coach Lauren Giesecke said. "They are a special, special group. Coming into this job (in 2015), this was my goal – 2018 WAC Championship. It was them coming together, being friends, helping each other on the range, putting, doing contests, staying after practice on their own, doing what they needed to do. That's what you don't see behind the scenes but that's what got us a championship."
The Lopes entered the third round in third place, trailing leader Seattle by five strokes and four-time defending champion New Mexico State by two strokes at The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix. The Lopes and Aggies were tightly contested for Wednesday's back nine to set up GCU senior Deanna Salvatori ending a frustrating day with a championship-saving putt.
Salvatori, who entered the tourney ranked 92rd in the nation, played the tournament's final 15 holes without her most frequently used club -- a gap wedge. The club's shaft snapped on her backswing at the third hole Wednesday and the frustration built as she had an uncharacteristic seven-over round entering the 18th hole.
Salvatori reached the par-five green's rough on two shots but misfired her pitch, leaving it on the edge of the green.
Two days after making ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 with a bunker shot birdie, Salavtori ended her tournament with a birdie by sinking that 20-foot putt in her team's one-stroke championship victory.
"Making that putt was the highlight of the week," Salvatori said. "Because my whole team got to share in the victory."
When the tournament was over, Savlatori hugged Patchana to express her pride in seeing the freshman win the WAC title.
"I did it for you," she told Salvatori, who Giesecke calls "the mom figure" of the team.
Patchana took command of the individual race when she birdied three of the front nine's final four holes to take a five-stroke lead. Patchana (six-under) and fellow Thai golfer Pun Chanachai of New Mexico State (three-under) were the only tournament golfers to finish under par.
"Siri played amazing," Giesecke said. "She's a very talented golfer. Some of the shots she hit out there were just unreal. They were very fun to watch. Her personality and how she interacts with the girls helps just as much as her scores."
Patchana said she woke up Wednesday nervous for the final round but tried to keep to her routine from breakfast to warm-ups. She entered the final round with a two-stroke lead, birdied the first hole Wednesday and left the 18th hole saying, "I just did that," as she hugged Giesecke
.
"This tournament is really big for me," Patchana said. "I wanted this for my team. I wanted this for the seniors, especially Deanna. I really wanted to make it count for her. No words can explain the feelings."
But in a one-stroke team win over three rounds, every Lope was crucial from the on-course coaching of Giesecke and assistant coach Kelli Bowers to the play of sophomores Carolina Sandstrom and Courtney Vogel and freshman Alexis Linam.
Sandstrom tied for sixth place with three rounds of two-over 73.
"I'm so beyond proud of Carolina," Giesecke said. "She has done amazing things this year. She doesn't get that much attention but we took her scores all three rounds. We don't have to go help her a whole lot. She makes a bogey. She calms down and will go out and make a birdie."
Vogel bounced back from a rough first two rounds to finish with a crucial final round of one-under 70. She was one of seven players to fire a below-par round in the tournament.
"It was what we discussed this morning and we knew it was coming," Giesecke said. "It was just a matter of time before she got everything together and started dropping putts."
Linam came on strong this spring, taking second place when GCU notched its season's first tournament victory last week at the Bobcat Spring Invitational. That carried over to the first round on Monday, when her 73 helped GCU take the team lead.
"We knew Alexis was going to grind it out," Giesecke said. "The girls knew they could rely on her. Having that confidence in her game, it helped them play better."
Every shot mattered when GCU's 868 was one stroke better than NMSU's 869 to set off an afternoon celebration. The Lopes wore gold WAC champs sunglasses, danced with a WAC champions sign, wore WAC champions T-shirts and left with the WAC championship trophy.
"This is truly amazing," Giesecke said.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Head Coach Brent Nicoson Meets the Team | August 29, 2024
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