No. 1-Ranked Washington Dominates in Winning Pat Lesser Harbottle Invite

No. 1 Washington made it two-straight overpowering performances to open their season, claiming the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invite at the Tacoma Golf & Country Club by 34 strokes. The Dawgs played their best round on Tuesday, shooting a round of 4-under 284 to finish at 1-under 863 for the tournament.

"It was a great win for us and one that means a lot to me," said head coach Mary Lou Mulflur. "I have such tremendous respect for Pat Lesser Harbottle and her family. I've known her since I was a teenager so it felt like things coming full circle today."

The win gives the top-ranked Dawgs their second win in a row; they also claimed the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational at Sahalee Country Club east of Seattle last week.

Freshman Jing Yan won the individual title with a par on the first playoff hole, edging co-medalist and teammate SooBin Kim.

"Jing birdied the last hole to get into the playoff," said Mulflur. "It was then fun to get the whole team to go out and watch her go for the win. You don't get to do that very often."

The Dawgs were the only team to finish under par, while second-place Washington State was well back at 33-over. Grand Canyon, Montana and Seattle U. rounded out the top five in what was more of a regional field than what the Dawgs are used to.

Washington had six players in the field, with each finishing in the top seven overall. Yan climbed up the leaderboard with a brilliant final round, becoming the only player in the tournament to shoot in the 60s. She finished at 1-under 215 with a final round of 3-under 69 that included four birdies and a bogey to get into a playoff with Charlotte Jaengkit of Grand Canyon. Yan made a par on the par-4 10th, while Jaengkit bogeyed to give the freshman her first collegiate win.

The Dawgs had several other players near the lead, starting with Jennifer Yang and Charlotte Thomas, who tied for third at 1-over 217. Yang came into the final round as the leader, but got off to a poor start, bogeying three of the first five holes. She was able to bounce back by with a birdie at the ninth and then played the back in 1-under. She finished with a 1-over 73 to tie teammate Thomas for third. Thomas shot 1-under 71, although she was playing as an individual this week for the Huskies.

Just one shot back of Yang and Thomas were the two Washington players from Hawaii - Cyd Okino and Eimi Koga, who tied for fifth at 2-over 218. Both closed with 1-under 71s. Okino made four birdies on the day, including three straight on Nos. 16, 17, and 18, while Koga was steady with 17 pars and a birdie on the par-5 11th.

Rounding out the Husky squad was Ying Luo who finished tied for seventh at 3-over 219. The junior had four bogeys and two birdies en route to a 2-over 74.

"It's just great to have everyone playing within a couple of strokes of each other," said Mulflur. "Our team is showing such great depth this season."

The Dawgs played without Kim, who won the Edean Ihlanfeldt, but experienced some back tightness leading up to the tournament. With the Dawgs leaving almost immediately for the Stanford Invitational, it is uncertain if Kim will make the trip, although she is expected to not be out long.

The Stanford Intercollegiate begins Friday, October 17. The three-day, 54-hole tournament boasts an elite field that includes seven ranked teams.

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