Golfers Make It Two-Straight Tourney Titles

Monday, September 27

Rochester, MI / Katke-Cousins GC

9 a.m.

Central Michigan University

Golden Grizzlies Invitational

Photo by: Jose Juarez

9/27/2021 5:17:00 PM | Women's Golf

Chitty, Allendesalazar share medalist honors as CMU defends title at Oakland

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

ROCHESTER, Mich. – Casilda Allendesalazar and Padgett Chitty shared medalist honors and the Central Michigan women's golf team held off Eastern Michigan by the slimmest of margins on Monday to win the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Invitational at Katke-Cousins Golf Course.

"It was almost a dream situation really to win the tournament and then have two players tie for medalist honors," CMU coach Jim Earle said. "That doesn't happen very often. Pretty proud of those two. They obviously brought home the individual prize and were the catalysts for us to win the tournament."

The Chippewas posted a 303 team score on Monday after a 297 in Sunday's opening round. They held a two-shot lead over Detroit Mercy and a four-shot advantage over Eastern Michigan on Sunday night. On Monday, the Chippewas held on as the Eagles came in at 299 to also finish at 600.

CMU was declared the tournament winner based on the score of the fifth player in each of the respective team's lineup. CMU's Rachel Kauflin posted an 82, bettering by two shots the score of EMU's fifth player.

"I knew Eastern was going to be the team to beat," Earle said. "That's what my suspicion was coming into the week and then (Sunday) night as well. At the end of the day, we got it done."

Perhaps overshadowed in the moment was a remarkable and rare performance by CMU's Ashley Goh, a sophomore playing the tournament as an individual. Goh rebounded from an opening-round 81 to shoot 71 on Monday, tying for the low round in the tournament. It also ties for the third-best round in program history.

Her sensational Monday round included an albatross or a double eagle – a two -- on the par 5 10^th hole and then an eagle on the par 5 15^th. An Albatross is the rarest of golf scores and, according to the PGA of America, only a few hundred are made nationally each year compared to about 40,000 holes-in-one.

To make an albatross and then an eagle in such quick succession is nearly unheard-of.

"I've never heard of that in professional golf, let alone in collegiate golf," Earle said. "Not in my time of coaching have I seen a player make an albatross and to think she made an eagle as well within a few-hole span, that's pretty incredible.

"Ashley Goh has made a ton of eagles. She does it often. She's so incredibly accurate with her fairway woods. You hit it that good, I guess you're bound to have one go in the hole. It's pretty awesome."

Goh finished tied for 10^th after starting the final round tied for 32^nd. The Chippewas' Zoe Vartyan shot 78 and Claudia Salvador posted a 79. Both finished at 154 and among a group tied for 13^th. Kauflin (158) finished tied for 24^th.

The Chippewas have now won two consecutive tournaments to open the 2021-22 season. It is the program's fourth win in its last eight starts dating to the spring, 2021 season. The Chippewas defended the Golden Grizzlies title they won in 2019 on the same course; the tournament was not played in 2020.

"It's a great way to start a season, back-to-back wins and to have every player really contribute to these two victories," said Earle, whose team is scheduled to play in the Eastern Michigan Shirley Spork Invitational on Oct. 4-5. "It gives us a lot of confidence going into Eastern. It doesn't get any easier from here on out. We know what we need to tidy up to win outright.

"That was a really good field at Oakland and for us to come out on top says a lot for how good this team is. We can definitely play a lot better, especially down the stretch."

Chitty opened the tournament on Sunday with an even-par 72, the best round of her career, and then shot 2-over 74 on Monday. Allendesalazar, a freshman playing in just her second collegiate event, mirrored Chitty with a Sunday 74 followed by an even par 72 on Monday.

They both finished at 2-over 146, three shots ahead of a four-player group at 5-over. In that group was first-round leader Ariel Chang of Detroit Mercy. The 146 ties for the fourth-best 36-hole score in program history.

Allendesalazar and Chitty join Salvador as Chippewa medalists. Salvador won the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodon Fall Invitational in October, 2019. Only one other CMU female golfer, Melanie Otto, has won a tournament. Otto won the Northern Illinois Invitational in 1981.

Allendesalazar made four birdies on Monday and led the tournament with eight. Chitty made three on Monday and was second in the field seven.

"I don't think Padgett had her best stuff today and she was able to post a 74," Earle said "She struggled on the greens but made a few key birdies and she really finished off her round well after a mid-round stretch with some putting woes. She finished it off like a champ."

Allendesalazar's Monday round, like her Sunday round, featured one blow-up hole. She made a triple bogey 7 on the par-4 14^th. Throw out that hole and her triple bogey 6 on the par-3 sixth in Sunday's round, and Allendesalazar played 34 holes in 4-under.

Her Monday 72 marks her best in five collegiate rounds. That number is almost certainly going to fall and in short order.

"She made two triples this week and she ended tying for first," Earle said. "That just goes to show you how awesome of a player she is. Once she limits those big numbers, she could be unstoppable. She hits it like no other. It's a pretty awesome sight and she can make a ton of birdies."

Allendesalazar played Katke-Cousins' four par 5's to a 4.50 stroke average and recorded a combined four birdies on those holes in the tournament.

"She's playing a different golf course than the rest of the field," Earle said. "How she's able to take advantage of par 5's is pretty cool."

Two other Chippewas, Mackenzie Baustad and Ashley Liles, participated in the tournament as individuals. Baustad shot 80 on Monday to finish among a group tied for 24^th at 158; Liles posted a final round 87 to finish 39^th at 167. The field comprised 49 players.