After a high-intensity playoff round, Idaho senior women’s golfer Kayla Mortellaro walked away from the Longbow Golf Club with her second consecutive WAC Championship title Wednesday in Mesa, Ariz.
Mortellaro, who claimed the lead after shooting a second-round 71, battled New Mexico State’s Demi Mak to the death in the third round when the Aggie sophomore came out of nowhere to fire a tournament-high 67 and jumped into second. Mortellaro had a chance to claim the title on hole No. 18 but was forced into a bogey after she failed to sink a putt.
Mortellaro though, was completely unaware that Mak had closed the gap and was frustrated after failing to finish things in regulation play.
“I had no idea that I needed to make par on the last hole to win,” Mortellaro said. “I was more upset with myself that no one told me and I didn’t actually finish strong, was really more of the overpowering reaction.”
Mak sat six strokes behind the defending WAC champion following the second round but managed to match Mortellaro in the first three playoff holes. The fourth hole, 364 yards away and surrounded by a lake, didn’t challenge the calm and experienced Mortellaro, who painted the fairway with a well-executed drive that left her just 87 yards short of the hole. A near perfect approach left her less than a foot away from the title.
“I had a few moments where I kind of let out
my frustration,” she said. “I was just focused on playing good golf, taking one shot at a time and seeing what happens, the final outcome … If I was just focused on hitting good shots, executing properly it could just take care of itself.”
Just 20 miles away from her hometown of Phoenix, Mortellaro shot a two-under 214 in regulation with round scores of 70, 71 and 73. Behind Mortellaro and Mak, San Jose State’s Jennifer Brumbaugh and Madeleine Ziegert, who finished at 215 and 216 respectively.
Idaho coach Lisa Johnson claimed the home course advantage favored Mortellaro, who was also named WAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.
“Kayla’s by far the best player in the WAC, she’s been playing extremely well this semester and especially in the last few weeks she’s been hitting the ball very well,” Johnson said. “She’s from Phoenix, she’s familiar with the way the grass hits…. So she’s extremely comfortable playing in hot weather, it was over 100 degrees so all those factors contributed to the way she won.”
As a whole, Idaho fared respectably, finishing second and just 13 strokes behind an impressive San Jose squad that had four players in the top 10. The Spartans concluded at 877, the Vandals at 890 while Fresno State took third with 902.
Fellow senior Teo Poplawski was the only other Vandal to finish in the top 10, as she pulled off a four-over 220, thanks to her third-round 71 that helped her jump six places into fifth. Freshman Leilanie Kim tied for No. 14 with a 229 and sophomore Rachel Choi’s 231 tied for No. 17 while another freshman, Kaitlyn Oster, shot 232 to tie for No. 18.
The departure of Mortellaro and Poplawski will be sure to affect Idaho in upcoming years but Mortellaro has taught the team’s underclassmen valuable lessons during her time in Moscow.
“I’ve just tried to teach them how to play smarter golf and course manage better, I’m not sure if anything is sinking in at this point but maybe eventually they’ll see it,” she said.
For Morterllaro though, the collegiate career will continue. The senior will be selected as an at-large bid to compete in NCAA Regional qualifiers based on her national ranking throughout the spring season. On Monday, Mortellaro and Johnson will learn where they’ll travel for regionals, which takes place at Ohio State, Penn State and the Colorado Nationals Golf Club in Erie.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]