By Andrew Hartley(andrewhart1ey) – Spear Reporter
In a match that came down to the final hole, SJSU women’s golf flexed its toughness Tuesday afternoon dethroning the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal in the Battle of the Bay, 3-2-1.
With both teams sharing two wins and a tie, grad student Antonia Malate went into the 18th hole with a one shot lead to solidify the Spartans first win of the season over the Cardinal at CordeValle in San Martin.
This is the third time since 2022 that SJSU women’s golf has beaten Stanford and the first time where the two competed head-to-head.
Malate, Lucia Lopez Ortega and Kajsa Arwefjall managed wins on a day despite 15 mph winds.
Arwefjall finished with only two birdies, but it was enough for the lowest score on the day for either side.
This was a nice rebound for SJSU after finishing behind the Cardinal after being in second after the first two days at the T. Hession Regional.
Freshman Rebecca Gyllner was assigned the daunting task of matching with Rose Zhang, the World Amateur Golf Ranking’s number one player.
Zhang managed a two stroke lead until the 12th hole. There, Gyllner made her mark.
Three consecutive birdies neutralized the lead and forced them all the way to the 18th hole where they finished locked at 35.
Junior Jordyn Parr played for the first time this Spring but finished with the highest score on the day. However, Parr managed the only eagle of all players on the 15th hole.
Stanford was without future LPGA player Rachel Heck who could have helped sway the outcome in the Cardinal’s favor.
The Spartans have two weeks off until March 6 where they’ll travel to Fairfax and participate in the Juli Inkster Meadow Club Invitational.
