Tomi Arejola played the game of her life to finish second in the Golfweek Fall Challenge at the Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawley’s Island in South Carolina Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Campbell University star fired a six-under-par 65 to end up one shot off American Erica Scutt on 8-under 205.
“My irons and wedges were extremely good,” Arejola said. “My putting sucked as usual.”
Although the Filipina managed to keep her approaches close to the pin to set up eight birdies, she still missed a ton of makeable putts, including a three-footer for par.
She, however, made a pair of 18-footers for birdies on 3 and 11.
On Monday, Arejola bungled a pair of putts from just two feet which she attributed to yips.
Starting the day 10 shots off Scutt, Arejola birdied the first three and the last three holes of the front nine to reach the turn on 6-under.
She gained another stroke on 11 and countered a bogey on 13 with a birdie on 15.
Scutt was even par through 15 holes until she triple-bogeyed 16, allowing the Filipina to draw level. She eventually carded a 74.
Arejola missed the chance to force a playoff when she bogeyed 17.
Arejola’s heroics powered Campbell to a 16-shot victory over the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Sofia Chabon and Samantha Dizon, the other Filipinas in the field, wound up in 36th and joint 37th spots, respectively.
Chabon matched par to bring her total to 7-over 220 while Dizon carded a 73 for 221.
Chabon and Dizon play for California Baptist.
Over in New Orleans, California, Samantha Bruce settled for a share of 11th place after a closing one-over-par 73 in the Green Wave Fall Classic at the Bayou Oaks at City Park’s south course.
She gained another stroke on 11 and countered a bogey on 13 with a birdie on 15.
Bruce, Seattle University’s, top player nailed one birdie against two bogeys to complete 54 holes on 6-under 210, eight shots behind Nebraska’s Kelli Strand.
On Monday, Bruce fired a career-best 64 only to cool down with a pair of 73s.
Seattle wound up 10th on 17-over 881, 49 strokes behind Louisiana State University.
Menwhile, Brianna Navarrosa dropped two shots on her second hole of the day and went on to shoot five-over par 77 in the Branch Law Firm/Ding McGuire Invitational at the UNM Championship course in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The 19-year-old daughter of former Filipino tennis champion Ringo Navarrosa wound up tied for 49th on 9-over 225, 17shots behind Kent State’s Mayka Hoogeboom who closed with a 73.
Starting on the eighth hole, Navarrosa opened with a par but double-bogeyed the next followed by four bogeys over 11 holes. She sandwiched another bogey on 5 with birdies on 3 and 7.
Navarrosa plays for the University of Southern California which ended in eighth place on 17-over 881, 38 shots off Ohio State.
