Completed Event: Women's Golf at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational on September 29, 2025 , , T-8th of 15
W Golf
at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational
T-8th of 15
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Garrett Ohrenberg
Tourney title defense opens with team lead
2/28/2022 7:10:00 PM | Women's Golf, Paul Coro
Lopes litter leaderboard with 4 of top 11 GCU Invitational spots
Before they rolled their bags to their opening tees, the Grand Canyon women's golfers had the look of the leaders that they wound up being two rounds later on Monday.
Lopes head coach Lauren Giesecke could see it on the driving range, the putting green and even the breakfast table with the players' mental approach to be a three-peat champion in their home tournament. And then they proved her right through sunset, firing program tournament records for scores after 18 holes (9 under par) and 36 holes (6 under par) at GCU Golf Course, where the Lopes will enter Tuesday's final round with a five-stroke lead over second-place SMU.
In a 19-team, 104-player field, four Lopes finished among the top 11 after two rounds with fifth-year senior Siripatsorn Patchana (3 under par) two strokes off leader Tiffany Le of UC Riverside. The GCU duo of sophomore Constanza Guerrero and senior Madison Voisard tied for third at 2 under par with senior teammate Payton Fehringer tying for sixth place at 1 under par.
The Lopes were so deep Monday that Voisard was part of a "B" team that outplayed 10 teams.
"We have gotten to a point with our team and who we have and what their goals are that I am super-confident with every tournament," Giesecke said. "They showed up today. You could tell they were all ready to go. They look like players. They acted like it. They just went out and did it and performed. I'm proud of them."
Patchana, playing her final home tournament, carded five birdies during a 10-hole stretch of the first round and finished strongly with a 2-under back nine in her second round.
"I played how I planned to play," said Patchana, who finished third at last year's GCU Invitational. "We had a lot of fire coming into this tournament, knowing it's going to be my last tournament. I'm really glad and thankful for this place overall. It made my mood coming into the tournament not focused on expectations, but having fun and executing my plan."
Giesecke said Patchana "knows what she wants and how to get it. Her golf is so close. It's right there. We haven't even seen how good Siri can be yet."
GCU still trailed SMU by two strokes after the first round, but the Lopes outplayed the Mustangs by seven strokes in the second found with Patchana shooting even and the rest of the "A" lineup carding 73s.
After tying for 11th in her GCU Invitational debut last year, Guerrero posted rounds of 69 and 73 to be in the top five and medalist contention.
"I'm so grateful that I'm here," the Spaniard said. "My coaches have been really helpful and I'm getting way better. Now, I can see myself having a chance to win an individual tournament. I'm fired up because you can see yourself winning and I left some shots out there."
Giesecke loves that fiery attitude that Guerrero displays on the course and felt like her putting kept her from leading the tournament.
"She was striking the ball extremely well," Giesecke said. "I haven't seen her strike the ball like that in a while. She just has continued to work on it and her timing is showing right now."
Like every intrasquad qualifying tournament and practice, Voisard is pushing her team's top five. She improved from a 1-over first round to a 3-under second round, when she birdied three of her final eight holes.
"We couldn't ask more of a teammate than what she gives us," Giesecke said. "She works extremely hard. She wants to travel and be in that top five. The more she pushes that top five, the better she's getting and the better they're getting. It's really exciting to see her shoot those scores."
Fehringer sank four birdies in each round Monday to be one of 11 players in the field who will enter Tuesday's final round under par.Â
The team maturity showed in another fifth-year senior, Alexis Linam, who rallied her day at the finish. The Phoenix native birdied two of the final three holes to get to 1 over par and a 12th-place tie for the tournament.
"I could tell this is a different vibe and team," Giesecke said. "The upperclassmen have really stepped up and know what they want. They know how we're going to get, whether it's winning a conference championship, winning tournaments or getting our ranking to where we need it to be. We have some pretty high goals with this group and they're doing what they need to do to get there."
To view the GCU Invitational leaderboard, click here.
Â
Lopes head coach Lauren Giesecke could see it on the driving range, the putting green and even the breakfast table with the players' mental approach to be a three-peat champion in their home tournament. And then they proved her right through sunset, firing program tournament records for scores after 18 holes (9 under par) and 36 holes (6 under par) at GCU Golf Course, where the Lopes will enter Tuesday's final round with a five-stroke lead over second-place SMU.In a 19-team, 104-player field, four Lopes finished among the top 11 after two rounds with fifth-year senior Siripatsorn Patchana (3 under par) two strokes off leader Tiffany Le of UC Riverside. The GCU duo of sophomore Constanza Guerrero and senior Madison Voisard tied for third at 2 under par with senior teammate Payton Fehringer tying for sixth place at 1 under par.
The Lopes were so deep Monday that Voisard was part of a "B" team that outplayed 10 teams.
"We have gotten to a point with our team and who we have and what their goals are that I am super-confident with every tournament," Giesecke said. "They showed up today. You could tell they were all ready to go. They look like players. They acted like it. They just went out and did it and performed. I'm proud of them."
Patchana, playing her final home tournament, carded five birdies during a 10-hole stretch of the first round and finished strongly with a 2-under back nine in her second round.
"I played how I planned to play," said Patchana, who finished third at last year's GCU Invitational. "We had a lot of fire coming into this tournament, knowing it's going to be my last tournament. I'm really glad and thankful for this place overall. It made my mood coming into the tournament not focused on expectations, but having fun and executing my plan."
Giesecke said Patchana "knows what she wants and how to get it. Her golf is so close. It's right there. We haven't even seen how good Siri can be yet."
GCU still trailed SMU by two strokes after the first round, but the Lopes outplayed the Mustangs by seven strokes in the second found with Patchana shooting even and the rest of the "A" lineup carding 73s.
After tying for 11th in her GCU Invitational debut last year, Guerrero posted rounds of 69 and 73 to be in the top five and medalist contention.
"I'm so grateful that I'm here," the Spaniard said. "My coaches have been really helpful and I'm getting way better. Now, I can see myself having a chance to win an individual tournament. I'm fired up because you can see yourself winning and I left some shots out there."
Giesecke loves that fiery attitude that Guerrero displays on the course and felt like her putting kept her from leading the tournament.
"She was striking the ball extremely well," Giesecke said. "I haven't seen her strike the ball like that in a while. She just has continued to work on it and her timing is showing right now."
Like every intrasquad qualifying tournament and practice, Voisard is pushing her team's top five. She improved from a 1-over first round to a 3-under second round, when she birdied three of her final eight holes.
"We couldn't ask more of a teammate than what she gives us," Giesecke said. "She works extremely hard. She wants to travel and be in that top five. The more she pushes that top five, the better she's getting and the better they're getting. It's really exciting to see her shoot those scores."
Fehringer sank four birdies in each round Monday to be one of 11 players in the field who will enter Tuesday's final round under par. The team maturity showed in another fifth-year senior, Alexis Linam, who rallied her day at the finish. The Phoenix native birdied two of the final three holes to get to 1 over par and a 12th-place tie for the tournament.
"I could tell this is a different vibe and team," Giesecke said. "The upperclassmen have really stepped up and know what they want. They know how we're going to get, whether it's winning a conference championship, winning tournaments or getting our ranking to where we need it to be. We have some pretty high goals with this group and they're doing what they need to do to get there."
To view the GCU Invitational leaderboard, click here.
Â
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
Friday, February 07