ON THE TEE...: The Cal State Fullerton women's golf team gets back into the swing of things this week as the Titans kick-off their spring schedule in nearby Yorba Linda, Calif., at The Gold Rush presented by Farmers Insurance hosted by Long Beach State on Monday (Feb. 11) and Tuesday (Feb. 12).
THE COURSE: This week's event will be held at the par-72, 6,077-yard Yorba Linda Country Club -- which lies just seven miles from the Cal State Fullerton campus. The 54-hole event begins with the first and second rounds on Mondayand concludes with 18 holes on Tuesday morning. Both days will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.
THE FIELD: Alongside the Titans and host 49ers, nine other teams will compete in this week's event. BYU, Cal State Northridge, Gonzaga, Nevada, Portland State, San Diego State, Santa Clara, UC Irvine, and Washington State are all scheduled to compete.
WATCH IT LIVE: Well… sort of. Live scoring will be available for both days at GolfStat.com. Please visit http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=3628 for scores as they become available.
IN THE RANKINGS: Cal State Fullerton enters the tournament ranked No. 74 in the nation according to the GolfStat NCAA head-to-head rankings and is No. 73 according to the Golfweek poll updated on Feb. 6. According to the GolfStat rankings, this week's tournament features seven teams ranked in the top 100, led by No. 53 Gonzaga. UC Irvine (#69), Washington State (#73), Long Beach State (#79), San Diego State (#84), and Nevada (#92), along with the Titans, round out the group.
According to Golfweek, Gonzaga paces the field at No. 60 followed by Washington State (#68), UC Irvine (#70), Long Beach State (#80), San Diego State (#81), and Nevada (#92) in the top 100.
GOING FOR THE GOLD: This week will mark Fullerton's second appearance at Long Beach State's Gold Rush tournament, last finishing 12th on Feb. 14-15, 2011. Kathryn New paced the Titans, finishing in a tie for 33rd at 243 (+27).
A LOOK BACK: Its seems so long ago, but the Titans capped a successful fall campaign with a fourth-place finish at the Fighting Camel Fall Classic hosted by Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., on Oct. 22-23. Sophomore Seri Lee finished second overall for the second time this season with a 1-under-par 71 in the final round, jumping her up four spots from a sixth-place tie after two rounds and pacing three Titans in the top 25 individually.
FIGHTING CAMEL FALL CLASSIC
TEAM… 312-309-304--925 (4th, +61)
2. Seri Lee… 74-75-71--220 (+4)
t22. Taylor Fowler… 77-77-80--234 (+18)
24. Tisha Alyn Abrea… 81-80-74--235 (+19)
t30. Neomi Hunt… 83-79-79--241 (+25)
t34. Deidre Crabtree… 80-78-84--242 (+26)
"FOUR" SURE: Things couldn't have gone better for the Titans to kick-off the 2012-13 season as Fullerton finished among the top four in all four (do you sense a theme here?) of their tournaments during the fall, including the championship of the Rose City Collegiate in Aurora, Ore., on Oct. 1-2. The Titans also finished third at the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate on Oct. 13-14 and fourth at both the Washington State Cougar Cup (Sept. 24-25) and the Fighting Camel Fall Classic (Oct. 22-23).
TOURNEY TERRIFIC: Cal State Fullerton has finished in the top five as a team in eight of its last nine tournaments dating back to last season, including two wins, one second-place, and a pair of third-place finishes.
HOW LOW CAN SHE GO?: Sophomore Seri Lee's 4-over-par 220 at the Fighting Camel Fall Classic stands as the third-lowest individual total for 54 holes and gives the second-year Titan two of the top three individual scores since 2009-10 behind her school-record 216 total from the Washington State Cougar Cup on Sept. 24-25 earlier this year. Of her 12 rounds this season, 11 of them have been in the 70s, including a trio of 71s.
ROUNDS AT PAR OR BETTER IN 2012-13:
Seri Lee -- 71 (-1) -- 1st Round -- Washington State Cougar Cup, Sept. 24, 2012
Seri Lee -- 71 (-1) -- 3rd Round -- Washington State Cougar Cup, Sept. 25, 2012
Seri Lee -- 71 (-1) -- 3rd Round -- Fighting Camel Fall Classic, Oct. 23, 2012
Taylor Fowler -- 71 (-1) -- 1st Round -- Rose City Collegiate, Oct. 1, 2012
Taylor Fowler -- 70 (-2) -- 1st Round -- Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate, Oct. 13, 2012
Deidre Crabtree -- 72 (E) -- 3rd Round -- Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate, Oct. 14, 2012
PIN SHOTS:
• Fowler's first-round 70 at the Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate on Oct. 13 was the lowest round by a Titan this season and matched the record for the lowest single round for a Fullerton golfer since the program was reinstated for the 2009-10 season. Who holds the record? The very same Fowler, who set the mark in the first round of the Fresno State Lexus Classic in 2010 and matched it in the same round of the same tournament in 2012.
• The 899 team score from the Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate stands as the third-lowest 54-hole team score since the program was reinstated in 2009-10.
• Fullerton's win at the Rose City Intercollegiate on Oct. 1-2 was the program's third tournament victory since being reinstated and its first since winning the Fresno State Lexus Classic on March 12-13, 2012.
