A pair of sophomores posted their first career tournament victories as Daniel Chian of Long Beach State and Betty Chen of UC Davis were selected the Big West Men’s and Women’s Golfer of the Month for October.
Chian Captures Medalist Honors at Bill Cullum Invitational
Long Beach State sophomore Daniel Chian (Covina, Calif./Los Altos HS) claimed Big West Men’s Golfer of the Month honors for October as he collected his first career tournament victory at the Bill Cullum Invitational.
Chian won the tournament by one stroke with a 54-hole total of 10-under par 206 at the Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, Calif. He held off Arizona State’s Jon Rahm and Cal State Fullerton’s Mark Anguiano, who tied for second at 9-under.
Chian tied a career low with a final round of 66 on Tuesday. He carded consecutive rounds of 72 and 68 on Monday. He helped the 49ers to a seventh place team finish. Chian led the team and finished the month with an average score of 68.66.
Others nominated: Matt Hansen (UC Davis); Pete Fernandez (UC Irvine)
Chen Wins First Tournament at Hoosier Fall Invitational
UC Davis sophomore Betty Chen (Castro Valley, Calif./Castro Valley HS) secured Big West Women’s Golfer of the Month accolades for October, highlighted by her first career tournament title at the Hoosier Fall Invitational.
Chen, who averaged 72.8 strokes per round during the month of October, outlasted a field of 96 golfers at the Indiana University-hosted tournament. Chen posted a 3-under 210 aggregate for 54 holes, winning by two strokes over Carmen Laguna (-1) of Minnesota. Chen had a 2-under 69 in the third round after posting that same score in the second. She helped the Aggies win the team title by 16 strokes and finish ahead of two higher-ranked teams in the Golfstat rankings at the time of the tournament. Chen was one of just two players to finish under par at the Hoosier Invite, and she collected nine birdies at the tourney.
Sandwiched around her victory in Indiana, Chen finished in the upper echelon at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational and Stanford Intercollegiate. She tied for 26th with a 54-hole total of 227 at the Edean Ihlanfeldt in Sammamish, Wash. At the Stanford Invite, she tied for 32nd among a field of 90. The tournament, which featured nine teams ranked in Golfstat’s top 25, presented a stiff challenge for Chen who finished 5-over at 227.
Others nominated: Shawnee Martinez (Long Beach State); Ronnie Valerio (UC Irvine); Savannah Vilaubi (UC Riverside); Izzy Leung (Hawai‘i)