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
Monday, February 6
Bakersfield, Calif.
Grand Canyon
at
The Valley Invitational
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Lopes surge in final day at Bakersfield for top-3 finish
2/6/2023 7:26:00 PM | Women's Golf
GCU shoots 8 over, 6 shots higher than any other team's Tuesday round
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – After it finished the first 36 holes on the cusp of a top-three finish Monday, Grand Canyon shot a tournament-low final round of 8 over par Tuesday to place third in the 13-team Valley Invitational at Bakersfield Country Club.
Led by freshman Ryan Flynn's sixth-place finish in a 77-player field, the Lopes played six strokes better than the next best team score in Tuesday's third round.
For the tournament, GCU shot 40 over par, six strokes behind second-place UC Davis and seven from first-place San Francisco. The third-place showing is the highest of the season for the Lopes, who earned their second straight top-three finish at the Valley Invitational after placing second at last year's event.
GCU led all participants with 37 birdies. It also had the best par-4 scoring average, shooting an average of 4.21 on par-4 holes, six strokes better than any other school.
"This was a good jump-start to the spring season," Lopes head coach Lauren Giesecke said. "It was a slow start, but the team fought back today. We learned a lot at this event and are looking forward to preparing for our home event later this month."
Flynn carded an even-par score of 72 on Tuesday and placed sixth at 6 over par for the tournament, the best finish of her career. Flynn shot a combined 3 over par on all par 4s, tied for third best of the 77-player field.
GCU senior Carmen Belmonte tied Flynn in the par-4 scoring category and showed her veteran leadership down the stretch of the 54-hole tournament, carding a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to tie for 13th at 9 over. Belmonte shot a 6-over first round but bounced back for a 2-over second round and 1-over third round.
Lopes juniors Constanza Guerrero and Lani Luafalealo tied for 22nd at 13 over par. Guerrero had her best round of the week Tuesday with a 2-over 74, while Luafalealo had a team-best nine birdies for the tournament, three in each round played. Junior Becca Tschetter, who had six birdies, placed tied for 34th at 17 over.
Junior Carley Strole competed as an individual for the Lopes and shot rounds of 76, 77 and 76 to tie with with Guerrero and Luafalealo at 13 over.
GCU takes 2 1/2 weeks off before it hosts the GCU Invitational at the GCU Golf Course. Day 1 action begins the morning of Feb. 27 with the final round concluding Feb. 28.
Day 1 recap
In its first tournament since late October, Grand Canyon finished Day 1 of the Valley Invitational at Bakersfield Country Club in fourth place out of 13 schools and head into Tuesday's final round just three shots back of third place.
Three Lopes players ended the two-round, 36-hole Monday in the top 20 of the 77-player field. Flynn sits 6 over par and in a tie for 11th as she totaled five birdies for the afternoon. Behind her is Luafalealeo, who had three birdies in each of her rounds and bounced back from a 5-over first round to finish 7 over for the day and in a tie for 17th.
Belmonte is one stroke behind Luafalealo at 8 over and in a tie for 19th. Guerrero is in a tie for 34th at 11 over while Tschetter is tied for 43rd at 13 over. Strole also competed as an individual and shot 9 over for the two rounds.
GCU's overall score finished at 32 over, three back of third-place Fresno State at 29 over. San Francisco leads the tournament at 15 over, with UC Davis in second at 19 over par.
The Lopes will resume the tournament with the third and final round Tuesday morning.
Led by freshman Ryan Flynn's sixth-place finish in a 77-player field, the Lopes played six strokes better than the next best team score in Tuesday's third round.
For the tournament, GCU shot 40 over par, six strokes behind second-place UC Davis and seven from first-place San Francisco. The third-place showing is the highest of the season for the Lopes, who earned their second straight top-three finish at the Valley Invitational after placing second at last year's event.
GCU led all participants with 37 birdies. It also had the best par-4 scoring average, shooting an average of 4.21 on par-4 holes, six strokes better than any other school.
"This was a good jump-start to the spring season," Lopes head coach Lauren Giesecke said. "It was a slow start, but the team fought back today. We learned a lot at this event and are looking forward to preparing for our home event later this month."
Flynn carded an even-par score of 72 on Tuesday and placed sixth at 6 over par for the tournament, the best finish of her career. Flynn shot a combined 3 over par on all par 4s, tied for third best of the 77-player field.
GCU senior Carmen Belmonte tied Flynn in the par-4 scoring category and showed her veteran leadership down the stretch of the 54-hole tournament, carding a 1-over 73 on Tuesday to tie for 13th at 9 over. Belmonte shot a 6-over first round but bounced back for a 2-over second round and 1-over third round.
Lopes juniors Constanza Guerrero and Lani Luafalealo tied for 22nd at 13 over par. Guerrero had her best round of the week Tuesday with a 2-over 74, while Luafalealo had a team-best nine birdies for the tournament, three in each round played. Junior Becca Tschetter, who had six birdies, placed tied for 34th at 17 over.
Junior Carley Strole competed as an individual for the Lopes and shot rounds of 76, 77 and 76 to tie with with Guerrero and Luafalealo at 13 over.
GCU takes 2 1/2 weeks off before it hosts the GCU Invitational at the GCU Golf Course. Day 1 action begins the morning of Feb. 27 with the final round concluding Feb. 28.
Day 1 recap
In its first tournament since late October, Grand Canyon finished Day 1 of the Valley Invitational at Bakersfield Country Club in fourth place out of 13 schools and head into Tuesday's final round just three shots back of third place.
Three Lopes players ended the two-round, 36-hole Monday in the top 20 of the 77-player field. Flynn sits 6 over par and in a tie for 11th as she totaled five birdies for the afternoon. Behind her is Luafalealeo, who had three birdies in each of her rounds and bounced back from a 5-over first round to finish 7 over for the day and in a tie for 17th.
Belmonte is one stroke behind Luafalealo at 8 over and in a tie for 19th. Guerrero is in a tie for 34th at 11 over while Tschetter is tied for 43rd at 13 over. Strole also competed as an individual and shot 9 over for the two rounds.
GCU's overall score finished at 32 over, three back of third-place Fresno State at 29 over. San Francisco leads the tournament at 15 over, with UC Davis in second at 19 over par.
The Lopes will resume the tournament with the third and final round Tuesday morning.
Players Mentioned
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