BUIES CREEK, N.C. – After posting her best collegiate finish and leading Campbell to a third-place showing at the Golfweek Conference Challenge,
Ayelen Irizar has been named Big South Conference women's golfer of the week.
Irizar placed fifth overall (70-76-68—214) against an 18-team field that included 11 teams who competed in last year's NCAA regionals, Campbell knocked off all four Power-5 conference schools in attendance, including pre-season No.-16 Arizona.
A senior from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Irizar matched her collegiate low round in a bogey-free 68 Wednesday that propelled her to her best-ever showing on the par-72, 6126-yard Red Sky Golf Club Fazio Course layout. She closed her final round by making birdie on the par-four third hole for the third-straight day. Her fifth-place effort matched the best-ever finish for a Campbell golfer at the event, which has been hosted at Red Sky in Wolcott, Colo., nine times.
Campbell completed a 10-place climb after Sunday's first round to finish third at the annual event, which pits representatives of 18 leagues nationwide on the Tom Fazio design.
Denver (292-291-289—872) won team honors, two strokes ahead of Pepperdine (290-300-284—874), while Campbell (301-292-287—880) was third. Arizona (300-287-294—881) finished fourth, three shots better than SMU, Louisville and San Diego State, all of which tied for fifth (880).
Irizar played the par-three holes at 2-under for the tournament, tied for second in the field, and was 1-under (tied for third) on the par-four layouts. She finished 1-over on the par-five holes, made 11 birdies and 33 pars in the 54-hole event. Her fifth-place finish bettered a tie for ninth at last year's Golfweek Program Challenge and a 10th-place effort at the 2017 Big South Championship.
Campbell posted its best-ever team finish in the Golfweek Conference Challenge (third) by recording its best round (287) and 54-hole score (880) on the Red Sky layout, which has hosted the event nine times.
The Camels return to action Monday and Tuesday in the Starmount Forest Fall Classic hosted by UNC Greensboro.
