Pepperdine tops in Silicon Valley Showcase for third tournament win of the 2023-24 campaign
Pepperdine Waves women’s golfer Jeneath Wong led the Waves to a tournament triumph last week.
The sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, was the top finisher in a field of over 50 golfers from 10 different schools as Pepperdine won the two-day Silicon Valley Showcase on at Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae on March 12.
Wong now has one collegiate victory under her belt. She finished in second place in The Show at Spanish Trial in Las Vegas a week earlier.
Waves head coach Laurie Gibbs said she and assistant coach Kacey Dalpes are proud of how well their squad played in the less than ideal weather conditions — heavy winds and rain — in Millbrae, a Bay Area city northeast of San Francisco.
“Jeneath’s first college win was very impressive, especially after also finishing tied for second last week,” Gibbs noted. “The players really enjoy competing together as teammates.”
Wong shot a 206 (68-68-70) in the tournament triumph. She shot 7-under to win by a four-stroke margin over second-place Riana Mission of San Francisco.
Wong went 1-under in her final 12 holes to finish the tournament. She had eight birdies n 36 holes on the first day of the tournament.
Pepperdine won with a three-round score of 857 (287-283-287). The squad had a 35-stroke margin over second-place UCLA, the third-ranked team nationally. San Jose State finished third; San Francisco placed fourth; and Santa Clara finished in fifth.
The Waves now have three tournament wins in the 2023-24 campaign heading into the three-day Fresno State Classic on March 24. Pepperdine won the Dick McGuire Invitational and Golfweek Red Sky Classic last September.
Pepperdine’s Lion Higo, a senior, and Lauren Gomez, a junior, tied for third in the Silicon Valley Showcase. Higo scored 215 (72-72-71). She shot 1-under the first six holes of the final day and nailed a birdie on one of the last holes. Gomez scored 215 (74-70-71). She had a birdie on the fifth hole and shot 2-over in the next eight holes and then had an eagle. Gomez was one of two players in the tournament to eagle.
Senior Kaleiya Romero finished 10th with a score of 221 (73-73-75). She had seven birdies in the event, including four in the last round.
Yingzhi Zhu, a sophomore, tied for 30th with a score of 235 (76-80-79). She had four birdies, including one on the last day.
Wong, an All-West Coast Conference first-teamer last season, has placed in the top 10 in three consecutive events and has seven top-10 placements in her two seasons so far.
Pepperdine will compete in the three-day Silverado Showdown in Napa beginning on April 8. The West Coast Conference Championships will come April 19-21 in Bremerton, Washington.