By Ron Smith
March 15, 2024
 
(PALM DESERT, Calif.) Westmont's Mallory Hopper posted a 76 (+4) on the final day to claim ninth place at the Augustana Spring Fling held at the Desert Willow Golf Resort.
 
"Mallory had a top-10 showing in a strong field of NCAA Division II national contenders," pointed out Westmont's head coach Josh Ault. "She has been putting in a lot of dedication to her game this Spring. She even went to Palm Desert early just to get an extra practice round in. It is really nice that her hard work has paid off. It's a great tribute to her willingness to do above and beyond what is asked."
 
The field at the tournament, which was hosted by Augustana of South Dakota, consisted of eight NCAA Division II teams and one from Division III.
 
Hopper was tied for 11th place following the first day of competition after posting a nine-over 81. By dropping five strokes from her score on day two, she secured a top-10 finish.
 
Noelle Thompson moved up four places to tie for 15th place. After shooting an 83 in the first round, she dropped seven strokes to match Hopper's 76 in round two.
 
As a team, the Warriors finished in ninth place with a score of 648, four strokes back of Point Loma Nazarene who finished in eighth. Host Augustana won the tournament with a score of 627.
 
The Warriors will be back in action on Monday and Tuesday when they compete in the Patriot Invitational hosted by Dallas Baptist (Texas) at the Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.