CARMEL, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's golf team battled a competitive national field at Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club to finish sixth at the annual Patriot Invitational. The Otters navigated the familiar but demanding par-71 course to post a team total of 69-over 921.

"Today was a firm test of golf at the Quail Golf Club," CSUMB head coach Jim Ragan said. "The team hung on and battled the entire round. We gained a lot of experience this week, playing in one of the strongest fields of our season. Cathy played well again, finishing in the top 20 individually. Morgan bounced back and played great today, closing with a 71. We have some work to do, but keep getting better each event, which is important heading toward the year-end Championship tournaments."

Senior Cathy Tong closed the tournament as the top Otter finisher, placing 18th overall. Tong fired a final round score of 4-over to finish the 54-hole event at 14-over.

Sophomore Morgan Pittman climbed up 20 spots on the leaderboard on the strength of an even-par 71 to place 31st at 19-over. Pittman used two birdies to finish holes 1-9 with a 34.

Newcomer Audrey Cheng, who paced the Otters after 36 holes yesterday, finished in 26th place at 18-over.

Classmates Khivi Kaur (t-35) and Esther Sheu (t-55) rounded out CSUMB with tournament scores of 20-over and 31-over, respectively. Playing as an individual, Maisy Lu posted a score of 30-over to place 54th.

The Otters will continue to gear up for postseason play with their final tournament before the CCAA Championship. CSUMB will head to Tucson to compete in the Desert Invitational, beginning on Monday, April 6.