MISSION VIEJO, Calif. – The eleventh running of The Beach Invitational gets underway tomorrow from the Mission Viejo Country Club and NM State women's golf will once again be in the field. For the past seven years, the event has been held at the Old Ranch Country Club.
 
Two-time defending champions USC will not be in the field for the 2023 running. Six California schools will compete in the tournament, including hosts Long Beach State.
 
Alison Gastelum and Valentina Origel look to continue where they left off after strong fall seasons. In the fall, Gastelum earned TicketSmarter WAC Golfer of the Month honors following an outstanding October.
 
NM State will be paired will Cal State Fullerton and Wofford on the opening day of the tournament. Playing as an individual, Meiji Tungprapunvong will spend her time with golfers from Long Beach State, UCLA, and Boise State.
 
2023 The Beach Invitational
Dates: Monday, February 27 – Tuesday, February 28
Location: Mission Viejo, Calif.
Course: Mission Viejo Country Club
Par/Yardage: 72/6,188
 
How to Follow
Like most collegiate golf tournaments, the best way to follow along with the Aggies' 2023 spring season opener will be on Golfstat. Live updates will also be provided throughout the day via the NM State Men's Golf Twitter page.
 
The Field
The Beach Invitational will feature New Mexico State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Fullerton, Gonzaga, Long Beach State, Murray State, Northern Illinois, Oral Roberts, Sam Houston, Santa Clara, UC Irvine, UCLA, and Wofford College.
 
Format
The tournament will feature three rounds of stroke play with teams playing two rounds on Monday. The tournament will get underway at 9:15 a.m. MT on Monday and 9:20 a.m. MT on Tuesday.
 
Teeing Off for the Aggies
1-Alison Gastelum
2-Valentina Origel
3-Emma Bunch
4-Arantza Armas Stenner
5-Alex Quihuis
6-Meiji Tungprapunvong (Individual)
 
Numbers to Know
1 – The Beach Invitational will be the first tournament in which NM State women's golf competes in this year. The Aggies placed in the top-five in three of the four tournaments in which they competed this fall.
4 – The trip to Colorado will mark the fourth time zone in which NM State has competed throughout 2022-23. Previously, NM State competed in the Eastern (Golfweek Fall Challenge), Mountain (Golfweek Red Sky Classic; Golf Iconic Classic), and Central (Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational) time zones.
1 (Again) – After a visit to the West Coast, the Aggies aren't done hitting new time zones. Between March 27 and 29, NM State will head to compete in the Hawaiian time zone at the Anuenue Spring Break Classic.
6 – Six Aggies will make the trip to California as Meiji Tungprapunvong will play as an individual in the event.
9 – The Aggies now have nine members on the roster as Isa Laulhé joined the program for the spring semester. Laulhé is a freshman from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3 – NM State will have three players – Alison Gastelum, Valentina Origel, and Arantza Armas Stenner - from Mexico in the starting lineup this week.