For two consecutive tournaments, the No. 15 Texas A&M women’s golf team has produced a medalist.
No. 15 Marijosse Navarro was only one stroke short from joining teammate Bianca Fabrizio in her sudden death, playoff victory at the Seminole Matchup in Tallahassee, Florida just over a week ago.
However, any potential letdown as a result of the event was not apparent for Navarro this week at the UC Irvine Invitational. If anything, her ultimate third place finish in Florida served as a precursor for an even bigger performance this week in Santa Ana, California.
Navarro fired three consecutive rounds of even par or better (72, 68, 71), highlighted by a birdie on the final hole of competition, to total a score of -5 (211) at the Santa Ana Country Club, helping her claw her way into a playoff spot she had been denied a week earlier.
And fortunately, for Navarro, her arguably best performance of her career could not arrive at a better time. The playoff did not just have medalist honors at stake, but an opportunity to earn a highly coveted exemption into Kia’s – the tournament’s sponsor – LPGA Tour event, The Kia Classic, in late March.
The only thing standing between Navarro and a spot in the Classic was No. 88 Gabriella Then, from the University of Southern California. Over the course of a grinding, five-hole sudden death playoff, Then would give Navarro all she could handle.
The day was ultimately Navarro’s and she refused to let that slip away. On the fifth playoff hole, Navarro secured a par and fended off the Trojans’ Then, effectively capturing the Invitational and seizing an opportunity to compete in a field of some of the world’s best professional golfers.
Navarro’s run at the Kia Classic will span March 26-29 in Carlsbad, California.
As a team, Texas A&M finished in third place with a +6 (870), 16 strokes behind first place No. 4 Washington University who shot -10 (854).
The Aggies don’t return to action until March 10 at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Kane’ohe, Hawaii.