FINAL RESULTS
BOULDER CITY, Nev. (Oct. 24, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University golf team ended its Fall season on a high note, finishing third at The Clash at Boulder Creek with a new program record for 54 holes.
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After shooting a 275 (-13) to break NAU's single-round scoring record by three strokes in round two, the Lumberjacks matched that today in round three to total 852 (-13) strokes for a new 54-hole program record by six strokes.
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The Lumberjacks played host to the tournament, which featured 19 other teams. Long Beach State ran away with the win after posting an 839 (-25) and NAU finished behind second-place San Francisco by only two strokes.
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The field played one round each day at the Boulder Creek Golf Club (par-72, 6,334 yards) in Boulder City, Nev.
"Wow, we played some really incredible golf the last two days. We obviously had our struggles in the first round, but we responded incredibly well the last two rounds. We executed and performed some great golf shots," said head coach
Brad Bedortha. "We had three very good tournaments in a row now, and the team is really starting to see and believe how much incredible golf we can play. This was a great way to end our fall semester on a positive note."
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Sophomore
Lizzie Neale led the way, tying for third place with a total of 209 (-7) strokes which is a new career low and ranks second all-time in program history. After recording a 74 (+2) on day one, Neale shot a 67 (-5) in round two which tied a program record.
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The Nelson, New Zealand native earned her first career eagle today and had two birdies to finish with a 68 (-4). Today's round marked her fifth career round in the 60's and her 16
th at par or better.
"Individually, we had some great rounds. A few of the highlights were Lizzie shooting nine-under in the last two rounds bogey free which is really tough to do," added Bedortha.
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Fellow sophomore
Ellena Slater tied for 17
th after shooting a 71 (-1) for her 16
th career round at par or better. She totaled 213 (-3) strokes with three birdies today.
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A pair of true freshmen in
Amy Hodgkins and
Frankie Dezis finished strong in round three after shooting a 68 (-4). Hodgkins recorded an eagle today and finished tied for 22
nd with 215 (-1) strokes.
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It was the first career round in the 60's for Dezis, who tied for 32
nd with a 218 (+2). Dezis began the tournament by shooting an 80 (+8) before improving with two rounds under par for her sixth career rounds at par or better.
"After a tough first day, Frankie played two great rounds and was four-under today for a career low," said Bedortha. "Amy and Ellena both shot four-under par in a round each."
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Competing as an individual,
Ekaterina Malakhova tied for 42
nd after shooting her second-straight 72 (E) to record a new season low of 220 (+4) – her best finish since 2021-22.
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Lorel Hayward tied her season low for the third time, shooting a 221 (+5) to tie for 48
th after recording a 73 (+1) today.
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Rounding out the results,
Nina Lukyanenko finished tied for 86
th with a 230 (+14), saving her best round for last today with a 73 (+1) as an individual.
"Lorel and Ekaterina, our seniors, both had very solid tournaments and Nina bounced back with a really good final round," concluded Bedortha.
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Northern Arizona was one of five Big Sky Conference schools in the field, finishing first among them with Neale and Slater finishing ahead of every Big Sky individual foe.
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In all, the Lumberjacks recorded 12 individual rounds at par or better, leaving the tournament with three new program records.
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The Clash at Boulder Creek concludes the 2023 Fall season for NAU. The Lumberjacks return to action with Mountain Classic Match Play on Feb. 12-14 in Palm Desert, Calif.
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Individual Results
T3.
Lizzie Neale 74-67-68= 209 (-7)
T17.
Ellena Slater 74-68-71= 213 (-3)
T22.
Amy Hodgkins 76-71-68= 215 (-1)
T32.
Frankie Dezis 80-70-68= 218 (+2)
T42.
Ekaterina Malakhova 76-72-72= 220 (+4) *
T48.
Lorel Hayward 78-70-73= 221 (+5)
T86.
Nina Lukyanenko 79-78-73= 230 (+14) *
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