Monday, September 23
Wolcott, CO
All Day
UCLA
vs
Golfweek Conference Challenge
Freshman Annabel Wilson
Youthful Lineup Heads to Golfweek Conference Challenge
September 22, 2019 | Women's Golf
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WOLCOTT, Colo. - The 12th-ranked Bruins will run out a lineup of four freshmen and a senior this week, as they head to the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Red Sky Golf Club, Fazio Course. The three-day, 54-hole tournament runs from Monday through Wednesday at the par-72, 6,309-yard layout.
Along with senior Mariel Galdiano, the Bruins' lineup will consist of freshmen Ty Akabane, Emilie Paltrinieri, Emma Spitz and Annabel Wilson. Freshman Yuki Yoshihara will play as an individual. UCLA will be the first team off the first tee on Monday at 10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT in the order of Paltrinieri, Galdiano, Wilson, Akabane and Spitz. Yoshihara will start at 12:15 p.m. MT/11:15 a.m. PT off No. 1.
Joining UCLA in the field, which features 18 teams in 18 different conferences, is Campbell, Central Arkansas, Delaware, Denver, East Tennessee State, Kennesaw State, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, San Diego State, SMU, South Alabama, TCU, UC Riverside and Xavier.
After a five-year hiatus from the Golfweek Conference Challenge, the Bruins returned last season and posted a 33-shot victory, with Galdiano recording the first win of her collegiate career. UCLA set a new Bruin mark with a 54-hole total of 32-under 832, shooting a 17-under 271 in the final round to also set a new school record. Galdiano finished at 13-under 203.
Akabane, Galdiano and Spitz will be playing in their second tournaments of the season after playing in the season-opening ANNIKA Intercollegiate, as UCLA finished in 10th (+27, 891). Spitz was the top Bruin finisher, tying for 32nd (+6, 222), Galdiano tied for 39th (+8, 224) and Akabane was 57th (+22, 238).
Spitz, currently ranked 15th in the Women's Amateur Golf Ranking, was invited to compete in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship, where she was able to be one of 30 players to tee it up at Augusta National. The native of Vienna, Austria also took part in the 2019 AIG Women's British Open. Spitz won the stroke play portion of the 2018 Girls' British Open Amateur by five shots, and would go on to win the 18-hole match play title to become the first Austrian to win the event. Spitz was a member of the '18 European Junior Ryder Cup and 2017 European Junior Solheim Cup teams, and also earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. In 2019, she won the Slovenian Amateur Championship, finished second at the Austrian Stroke Play Championship and placed 11th at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship.
Akabane is coming off a solid summer, which saw her win the AJGA PING Heather Farr Classic by five strokes. She also tied for 21st (E, 144) in stroke play at the U.S. Women's Amateur, reaching the round of 32. Akabane won the 2018 California Women's Amateur Championship, finishing at 9-under in stroke play to earn medalist honors by seven shots and going on to win all five match-play contests. In 2018, she appeared in eight AJGA tournaments, posting Top 20 finishes in all of them, including a pair of T-9 showings. Akabane played in the 2017 U.S. Women's Open, as well as the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur, where she tied for 22nd.
Wilson, ranked 85th in the WAGR, won the 2019 Irish Women's Close Championship last summer and also got her first taste of professional golf, playing in the ISPS Handa World Invitational in August. She has represented Ireland at the 2018 and 2019 Ladies' Home Internationals and European Ladies' Team Championship, as well as the 2018 Women's Amateur Team Championships – Espirito Santo Trophy. She reached the Round of 32 in a pair of match-play events in '18, the Girls' British Open Amateur Championship and the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship. Wilson also tied for eighth at the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship, tied for ninth at the Spanish Ladies' Amateur Championship and placed Top 20 at the World Junior Girls Championship and the European Ladies' Amateur Championship.
Galdiano entered her senior season coming off Golfweek and WGCA Honorable Mention All-American awards. She was second on the team last year with a 72.9 scoring average, posting victories at the Golfweek Conference Challenge and the Stanford Intercollegiate, the first two wins of her career. Galdiano had four Top 10s and eight Top 20s, including a T-11 finish at the Silverado Showdown and a T-13 showing at the Pac-12 Women's Golf Championship. Galdiano, an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree, had nine under-par rounds and four in the 60s. Her best round of the season was a 9-under 62 at Stanford. Galdiano was a combined 23-under in her first three tournaments of the season. She tied for third at the Bruin Wave Invitational, tied for eighth at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, tied for 12th at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview and tied for 18th at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
Paltrinieri, 32nd in the WAGR and a member of the Italian National Team, won the German Girls Open this past summer. She also reached the third round of the R&A Girls Amateur Championship and tied for 11th at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship. Paltrinieri helped her country win both the 2018 and 2019 European Girls' Team Championships. She also represented Italy at the Women's Amateur Team Championships – Espirito Santo Trophy. The match-play star reached the quarterfinals at the 2018 Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship and the Round of 16 at the Girls' British Open Amateur Championship. Paltrinieri, who appeared in the 2016 and 2018 Junior Ryder Cups, finished 10th at the European Ladies' Amateur, while also winning the Italian Ladies Stroke Play Championship (Isa Goldschmid Trophy) and the Italian Ladies Match Play (Giuseppe Silva Trophy).
Yoshihara was a four-time Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player and All-League at Woodbridge High School. She became the first WHS girls golfer to win the Pacific Coast League individual title in 2018, winning by two shots. Yoshihara finished 11th at the 2019 Junior Orange Bowl International. She is the younger sister of Hidetoshi, who will be entering his senior season on the UCLA men's golf team.
WOLCOTT, Colo. - The 12th-ranked Bruins will run out a lineup of four freshmen and a senior this week, as they head to the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Red Sky Golf Club, Fazio Course. The three-day, 54-hole tournament runs from Monday through Wednesday at the par-72, 6,309-yard layout.
Along with senior Mariel Galdiano, the Bruins' lineup will consist of freshmen Ty Akabane, Emilie Paltrinieri, Emma Spitz and Annabel Wilson. Freshman Yuki Yoshihara will play as an individual. UCLA will be the first team off the first tee on Monday at 10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT in the order of Paltrinieri, Galdiano, Wilson, Akabane and Spitz. Yoshihara will start at 12:15 p.m. MT/11:15 a.m. PT off No. 1.
Joining UCLA in the field, which features 18 teams in 18 different conferences, is Campbell, Central Arkansas, Delaware, Denver, East Tennessee State, Kennesaw State, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, San Diego State, SMU, South Alabama, TCU, UC Riverside and Xavier.
After a five-year hiatus from the Golfweek Conference Challenge, the Bruins returned last season and posted a 33-shot victory, with Galdiano recording the first win of her collegiate career. UCLA set a new Bruin mark with a 54-hole total of 32-under 832, shooting a 17-under 271 in the final round to also set a new school record. Galdiano finished at 13-under 203.
Akabane, Galdiano and Spitz will be playing in their second tournaments of the season after playing in the season-opening ANNIKA Intercollegiate, as UCLA finished in 10th (+27, 891). Spitz was the top Bruin finisher, tying for 32nd (+6, 222), Galdiano tied for 39th (+8, 224) and Akabane was 57th (+22, 238).
Spitz, currently ranked 15th in the Women's Amateur Golf Ranking, was invited to compete in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship, where she was able to be one of 30 players to tee it up at Augusta National. The native of Vienna, Austria also took part in the 2019 AIG Women's British Open. Spitz won the stroke play portion of the 2018 Girls' British Open Amateur by five shots, and would go on to win the 18-hole match play title to become the first Austrian to win the event. Spitz was a member of the '18 European Junior Ryder Cup and 2017 European Junior Solheim Cup teams, and also earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. In 2019, she won the Slovenian Amateur Championship, finished second at the Austrian Stroke Play Championship and placed 11th at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship.
Akabane is coming off a solid summer, which saw her win the AJGA PING Heather Farr Classic by five strokes. She also tied for 21st (E, 144) in stroke play at the U.S. Women's Amateur, reaching the round of 32. Akabane won the 2018 California Women's Amateur Championship, finishing at 9-under in stroke play to earn medalist honors by seven shots and going on to win all five match-play contests. In 2018, she appeared in eight AJGA tournaments, posting Top 20 finishes in all of them, including a pair of T-9 showings. Akabane played in the 2017 U.S. Women's Open, as well as the 2018 U.S. Women's Amateur, where she tied for 22nd.
Wilson, ranked 85th in the WAGR, won the 2019 Irish Women's Close Championship last summer and also got her first taste of professional golf, playing in the ISPS Handa World Invitational in August. She has represented Ireland at the 2018 and 2019 Ladies' Home Internationals and European Ladies' Team Championship, as well as the 2018 Women's Amateur Team Championships – Espirito Santo Trophy. She reached the Round of 32 in a pair of match-play events in '18, the Girls' British Open Amateur Championship and the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship. Wilson also tied for eighth at the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship, tied for ninth at the Spanish Ladies' Amateur Championship and placed Top 20 at the World Junior Girls Championship and the European Ladies' Amateur Championship.
Galdiano entered her senior season coming off Golfweek and WGCA Honorable Mention All-American awards. She was second on the team last year with a 72.9 scoring average, posting victories at the Golfweek Conference Challenge and the Stanford Intercollegiate, the first two wins of her career. Galdiano had four Top 10s and eight Top 20s, including a T-11 finish at the Silverado Showdown and a T-13 showing at the Pac-12 Women's Golf Championship. Galdiano, an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree, had nine under-par rounds and four in the 60s. Her best round of the season was a 9-under 62 at Stanford. Galdiano was a combined 23-under in her first three tournaments of the season. She tied for third at the Bruin Wave Invitational, tied for eighth at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, tied for 12th at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview and tied for 18th at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
Paltrinieri, 32nd in the WAGR and a member of the Italian National Team, won the German Girls Open this past summer. She also reached the third round of the R&A Girls Amateur Championship and tied for 11th at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship. Paltrinieri helped her country win both the 2018 and 2019 European Girls' Team Championships. She also represented Italy at the Women's Amateur Team Championships – Espirito Santo Trophy. The match-play star reached the quarterfinals at the 2018 Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship and the Round of 16 at the Girls' British Open Amateur Championship. Paltrinieri, who appeared in the 2016 and 2018 Junior Ryder Cups, finished 10th at the European Ladies' Amateur, while also winning the Italian Ladies Stroke Play Championship (Isa Goldschmid Trophy) and the Italian Ladies Match Play (Giuseppe Silva Trophy).
Yoshihara was a four-time Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player and All-League at Woodbridge High School. She became the first WHS girls golfer to win the Pacific Coast League individual title in 2018, winning by two shots. Yoshihara finished 11th at the 2019 Junior Orange Bowl International. She is the younger sister of Hidetoshi, who will be entering his senior season on the UCLA men's golf team.
Players Mentioned
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