Fresno, Calif. - The number "36" in golf usually means par for nine holes of a golf tournament. For Spartan women's golfer Cristina Corpus, 36 now has a new meaning. In her 36th collegiate tournament, she won the Fresno State Lexus Classic Individual Championship, finishing the tournament with a two-under 214. San Jose State finished second with an 882, two shots behind UC Davis.
Corpus followed up her 69 in the second round Monday with a one-under 71 in the final round of the tournament on Tuesday. She made four birdies, including one on 16, three feet from the hole.
"This is just amazing," said Corpus. "The win was a long time in coming. I knew coming into today that if I hung in there, I would have a chance (to win). I tried not to look at the leader board, but I knew I was leading the tournament as I played the final three holes.
"The birdie on 16 really helped solidify my position. The par on 17 relieved some of the pressure, but I missed the cup for a birdie chance. On 18, I hit a perfect second shot, but it came up short and rolled down. I chipped from about 15 yards and got to within two feet of the cup. I got ready to make my final putt, but that is when the nerves came and I had to back away, relax, take a couple of deep breaths and then sank the putt. It was great to have all my teammates cheer for me afterwards."
San Jose State shot the low round of the day with a 297 and finished at 882, two shots shy of UC Davis who won with an 880.
For a while on Tuesday, Madeliene Ziegert led or was tied with Corpus for the individual lead. Ziegert ended the tournament with an even-par 72 in her final round and a 217 three-round total.
Other Spartan finishers included Katrina Delen-Briones who finished tied for 12th at 223. Shraddhanjali Singh and Jody Ho tied for 29th at 230.
"Shooting the low round today was good for us," said Spartan head coach John Dormann. "We hit the ball really well considering the conditions today which were windy, rainy on and off and cooler than yesterday.
"I am really happy for Cristina for finally winning and happy for Madeleine and her development."
San Jose State returns home to host the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational next Monday and Tuesday, March 8 and 9, at the Almaden Golf and Country Club located in South San Jose. Shotgun starts happen each day at 8 a.m. Live scoring will also be available on www.golfstat.com.