2015 Pacific West Conference Championship Final Results
 
ST. GEORGE, Utah — One stroke was the difference in two races Wednesday, as the Academy of Art University women's golf team finished third at the 2015 Pacific West Conference Championship and freshman Shu-lin Lin finished third individually at Sunbrook Golf Course.
 
The Urban Knights earned their third straight top-three finish at the PacWest Tournament and were only one stroke behind host and runner-up Dixie State. ART U matched its round one team total from Monday with a 315 (+27) while DSU improved its team score for the third straight day with a 310 (+22). California Baptist won the 2015 PacWest title with a final-round best 304 to total 900 (+36) over the three rounds and win by 34 strokes over Dixie State.
 
Lin entered the day tied for first and was paired with Dixie State's Haley Dunn, with whom she shared the lead after two rounds, and CBU's Tina Yang, who trailed the two by one stroke entering Wednesday. Lin held first place from holes two through five after Dunn and Yang bogeyed the par-five second and she pared.
 
Dunn grabbed the lead with an eagle on the par-four fifth to take a two-stroke lead and Lin kept pace with nine straight pars. Lin finished in style, making a 20-foot putt to birdie 18, but it was too little too late as a bogey on the par-four 17th sealed her fate, leaving her one stroke behind and out of a playoff for the championship. Dunn won individual medalist honors over Yang on the first playoff hole.
 
"I am so proud of Shu-lin and the way she played this tournament," said Academy of Art head coach Elaine Harris. "She learned from her previous experience, leading a tournament, and played steady golf today in the lead group."
 
The Urban Knights were one of six teams Wednesday out of the eight in the tournament that saw its score increase from the second round. Lin matched her first round three-over 75 to total 221 (+5) for the tournament. Sophomore Roxanne Matta improved upon her 23rd place finish in last year's tournament by finishing 11th, totaling 236 (+20) after a seven-over 79 in the final round. Freshman Maria Fernanda matched her best round of the season with a seven-over 79 to figure in the team scoring and finish 27th.
 
Sophomore Crystal Wang saw her score increase for the third straight round but she still finished among the top-15, finishing tied for 13th after a 10-over 82 in the final round put her at 239 (+23) for the tournament. Freshman Sterling Hawkins finished in the top-20 with a tie for 18th place, shooting an 11-over 83 on Wednesday for a 243 (+27).
 
Academy of Art now awaits to hear if it is selected to participate in the 2015 NCAA Division II West Regional, to be held May 4-6 at Foxtail Golf Course in Rohnert Park, Calif.