Lopes conclude National Golf Invitational

Friday, May 12

Maricopa, Ariz. | Ak-Chin Southern Dunes

Grand Canyon

National Golf Invitational

Photo by: Zach Campbell

5/12/2023 4:08:00 PM | Women's Golf

Results

Guerrero earns top-15 finish at 7 over

By: Nick Macdonald

MARICOPA – The Grand Canyon women's golf team concluded the first ever National Golf Invitational at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa Sunday afternoon.

GCU placed ninth at 47 over par for the tournament. Penn State won the event at 14 over, with Iowa 25 over par for second place and Mercer 26 over par for third. Iowa's Shannyn Vogler won the event at 5 under par, joining Penn State's Michelle Cox (3 under) as the only two golfers in the 48-player field to finish under par after 54 holes.

Junior Constanza Guerrero finished best for the Lopes at 7 over, good for 15th place. Guerrero birdied three of her first five holes played before a final round 2 over par Sunday. Guerrero led the Lopes with 10 birdies over the course of three days which tied for fourth best among the field.

Freshman Ryan Flynn tied for 31st, shooting a 2 over par Sunday and 14 over for the tournament. Flynn made the biggest leap of the team, moving up 11 spots into 31st. Senior Carmen Belmonte and junior Carly Strole tied for 38th at 16 over par, while junior Becca Tschetter tied for 41st at 17 over par.

With the conclusion of the National Golf Invitational, the 2022-23 women's golf season officially concludes. The Lopes had a season to remember, breaking multiple school D1 records including most WAC postseason accolades (6), most top-3 team finishes in a single season (6) and tied the record for most top-3 finishes in a row (5).

Day 2 Recap
The Grand Canyon women's golf team concluded day two of the National Golf Invitational at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club Saturday afternoon.

The Lopes are tied for ninth at 34 over with 18 holes to play, which concludes tomorrow afternoon. Penn State leads the tournament at 9 over, followed by Santa Clara in second (14 over) and Iowa in third (15 over).

Guerrero is tied for 17th at 5 over par as she shot an even scorecard Friday and 5 over Saturday. Guerrero has six birdies for the tournament and is tied for 11th in that category among the 48-player field.

Strole, Tschetter and Belmonte are tied for 39th at 10 over, while Flynn is tied for 42nd at 12 over par.

Day 1 Recap
The Grand Canyon women's golf team concluded Day 1 of the first-ever National Golf Invitational on Friday, carding a team score of 10 over par at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.

GCU ranks eighth among 10 teams and is four strokes back of a top-five placement. Penn State leads the field at even par.

Hosted by Golfweek, the National Golf Invitational is in its first year as 10 teams from all over the country received and accepted bids to play at Southern Dunes in Maricopa.

Guerrero leads the squad at even par and is tied for ninth place heading into Day 2. The All-WAC first-team recipient finished with three birdies over her final four holes to card even for the day. She had 13 pars, which aided GCU totaling 57 for the round for the fourth highest in the field.

Tschetter finished one stroke back of Guerrero at 1 over par with a birdie and 16 pars for her round. Tschetter's par count is tied for second most among the 48-player field. Tschetter shot par over her final six holes to put two Lopes in the top 15 through 18 holes.

Flynn is tied for 22nd at 3 over par. Flynn, who earned WAC Freshman of the Year accolades, tied for fifth among the field at 2 under on par 4s with three birdies. Strole and Belmonte shot 6 over and are tied for 41st.