CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. -- Cal State Fullerton sophomore Seri Lee closed with a final round 71 to finish fourth individually and the host Titans tied the tournament's single-round record with the lowest final round of day as they finished second overall at the 2013 Folino Invitational Presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California on Tuesday afternoon at the Industry Hills Golf Club.
Under cloudy skies and rain that hampered the final groups of golfers, Fullerton's single-round record-tying 293 on Tuesday matched Gonzaga's third round from last season, finishing at 61-over par for the 54 holes, 11 shots behind the defending champion Bulldogs, who claimed their second consecutive title at the Folino Invitational with a 50-over-par 902 -- including a final round 295. The Titans were also runners-up in 2012, 13 shots behind the Bulldogs with a three-round total of 910.
Gonzaga's Raychelle Santos won individual honors, pacing the field at 5-over par and a tournament-record 54-hole total of 218, breaking the mark of Montana's Tara Green, who finished with a 7-over-par 220 at the 2012 event. Santos edged out Portland State's A Ram Choi, the tournament's second-round leader who finished at 6-over-par for the tournament. Santos shot a final-round 70 to erase Choi's one-shot lead after 36 holes as the Vikings' sophomore shot a third-round 72 on Tuesday, bogeying three of the final four holes.
Lee finished at even par for the Titans after scoring 77-75 over the first two days to move up from a tie from eighth and post her third top-five finish of the year while tying her career low round set three times. She paced a group of four Fullerton golfers in the top 20, including senior Neomi Hunt, who posted her best finish of the season with a 15-over-par 228 to tie for ninth, missing her career-best 54-hole score by a single stroke.
Sophomore Makayla Mier narrowly missed out on the top 10, finishing a stroke behind Hunt with a 16-over-par 229 to post her best finish as a Titan in 11th place. First round leader Kristen Aiu, who was competing as an individual, rounded out Fullerton's top-20 group in a tie for 17th with a 19-over-par 232.
Four of the five scoring golfers for the Titans on Tuesday posted rounds in the mid to low 70s, including senior Deidre Crabtree, who improved mightily from a first-round 82 to post a final round 75 and improve five spots to a tie for 24th with a 22-over-par 235. Sophomore Tisha Alyn Abrea also battled back from a pair of scores in the 80s on Sunday and Monday, improving nine strokes to a final-round 74 to finish in a tie for 32nd at 26-over-par (239).
Other Fullerton finishers, all competing as individuals, included Dakota Brown, who finished in a tie for 56th (+40, 253), Nicole Rivera, who finished in a tie for 59th (+41, 254), and Nadine Rivera, who finished in 68th (+51, 264).
The Titans now have more than a month off before they return to the links on March 18-19 at the BYU Invitational held at the Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club in St. George, Utah.