After day one and 36-holes of play at the Big West Conference Championships, the No. 48 ranked Long Beach State women’s golf team is just 18-holes away from claiming their first conference championship in program history.  The 49ers finished the day in first place with a two-round total of 45-over par 621 at the San Luis Obispo Country Club.

LBSU holds a two-stroke lead over second place UC Davis (623) and six-strokes over third place No. 24 UC Irvine (627).

The 49ers shot a 308 in the opening round to finish in first place and hold a seven-stroke lead over the Aggies (315) and eight-strokes over the Anteaters (316). But in the second, The Beach missed a few opportunities to capitalize on their lead as they carded a 313 as Davis and Irvine charged their way back to within striking distance as both teams improved with scores of 308 and 311 respectively.

Freshman Lee Lopez was the top player for the 49ers as she finished in a three-way tie for first place with Patty Chawalitmetha of UC Irvine and Alice Kim of UC Davis. All three-players finished the day with a six-over 150.

In the opening round, Lopez fired a 74 as she only recorded two bogeys on the Nos. 1 and 2 holes and finished the remaining round at even-par. In second round play, Lopez shot a 76 as she came away with four bogeys and two birdies, plus one double-bogey at the No. 7 hole.

Senior All-American Kay Hoey tied for sixth with Hillary Packard of UC Irvine as both players finished with an 11-over 155. Hoey carded an opening round score of 76 to finish in fourth as she recorded seven bogeys and three birdies. In the second round, Hoey finished the day with a 79.

Sophomore Reina Rogers is currently tied for 10th with Jane Chin of UC Irvine with a 13-over 157. Rogers shot a 75 in the opening round to finish third, but fell to 10th with a second round score of 82.

Junior Brenda Chhuor sits at 18th as she started off the day tied for 22nd with an 83 in the opening round and came back to improve by four shots with a 79.

Sophomore Lindsey McAtee also made a nice comeback in the afternoon session as she began the day in 29th with an 85 and charged her way back with a 79 to tie for 20th.

“We let the field back in this afternoon but we’re well poised to strike back tomorrow,” said head coach Sue Ewart. “It was a long, hot day on a course that challenges even the best putter’s. It will more than likely boil down to who putts best both individually and team wise. I feel confidant that Lee Lopez and the team will come out blazing tomorrow and we could potentially enjoy our first conference championship title, coupled with the individual crown!”

Final round play continues on Tuesday morning at 7:15 a.m. Live action can be followed at www.golfstat.com.

2009 BIG WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Team Results
1. LONG BEACH STATE (308-313–621)
2. UC Davis (315-308–623)
3. UC Irvine (316-311–627)
4. UC Riverside (319-318–637)
5. Cal Poly (321-320–641)
6. Cal State Northridge (324-324–648)

LONG BEACH STATE – Individual Results
T1. Lee Lopez (74-76–150)
T6. Kay Hoey (76-79–155)
T10. Reina Rogers (75-82–157)
18. Brenda Chhuor (83-79–162)
T20. Lindsey McAtee (85-79–164)

2009 BIG WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Individual Results
1. Patty Chawalitmetha, UC Irvine (74-76–150)
1. Alice Kim, UC Davis (78-72–150)
1. Lee Lopez, LONG BEACH STATE (74-76–150)
4. Chelsea Stelzmiller, UC Davis (77-76–153)
4. Stephanie Yocum, Cal Poly (80-73–153)
6. Hillary Packard, UC Irvine (77-78–155)
6. Kay Hoey, LONG BEACH STATE (76-79–155)
8. Maddy Fletcher, Cal Poly (78-78–156)
8. Jennifer Bermingham, UC Riverside (79-77–156)
10. Reina Rogers, LONG BEACH STATE (75-82–157)
10. Jane Chin, UC Irvine (81-76–157)

Report By LBSU Sports Information Department