KAILUA, Hawaii – Heavy rain and lightning Tuesday morning forced cancellation of the final round of the fifth Pac-12 Preview at Nanea Golf Club.
As a result, Monday's 36-hole scores stood. Second-ranked UCLA won the team title by 11 strokes over No. 7 Stanford with a score of 20-under 564. The Cardinal took second at 9-under 575, placing four players in the top 15.
"I think we showed a lot of depth," said associate head coach Lauren Dobashi. "UCLA just tore it up again. It's too bad we didn't have a third round to try and catch up – 11 shots is a lot. But you never know what can happen."
Sophomore Andrea Lee of Stanford captured her second-straight individual crown and third in four starts this season with a two-round total of 9-under 137 (69-68) on the challenging par-73 course.
The victory was the sixth of Lee's young collegiate career, tying her with Kathleen McCarthy for the second-most in program history. Former LPGA winner Mhairi McKay of Scotland holds the Stanford record with eight wins.
Lilia Vu of UCLA (67-72) finished second.
"I played really well yesterday," Lee said. "I hit a lot of good shots and took advantage of the par-5s. And my short game was sharp."
Added Dobashi, "We're lucky we have a lot of depth because they all push each other. Everyone is working hard and trying to get into the lineup, which is making everyone better, including Andrea."
She agreed.
"We have such a great team and it's so much fun to be part of," said Lee.
Lee's second-round 5-under 68 matched her previous best score versus par as a Cardinal. She shot a 5-under 67 in the last round of her first college tournament last year at the Windy City Collegiate Championship in Chicago and prevailed with a final-hole birdie. Lee also posted a 5-under 67 in the last round of this year's season-opener at the Dick McGuire-Branch Law Firm Invitational in New Mexico.
In 11 rounds this season, Lee has broken 70 eight times. In 15 career starts, she now has 13 top 10 showings.
Cardinal senior Shannon Aubert tied for fifth (72-72, 144, -2) and freshman Mika Liu (74-72, 146, E) tied for ninth, while sophomore Ziyi Wang (75-73, 148, +2) tied for 15th and sophomore Albane Valenzuela tied for 32nd (78-73, 151, +5).
The Cardinal concludes its fall season next Monday through Wednesday in the prestigious East Lake Cup in Atlanta, Georgia. The event is limited to men's and women's semifinalists from the 2017 NCAA Championships, and all rounds will be televised live on the Golf Channel.
Stanford will participate for the third consecutive year after capturing the NCAA title in 2015, finishing second in 2016 and tying for third in 2017. The format is one round of medal play to determine a medalist, and two rounds of match play. First-round winners play for the overall championship on Wednesday, preceded by a consolation final.
"It's always special to go to East Lake because you can't take anything for granted," said Dobashi. "It's a great event and showcases the top women in collegiate golf and it's fun."
The Cardinal will compete against reigning NCAA winner Arizona State, Northwestern and USC. On the men's side, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Illinois and Vanderbilt will square off.
