In a field littered with talent, Southern California, No. 2
in the latest Golfstat rankings, had
built a big enough lead that it was able to withstand huge rallies by both No.
4 UCLA and No. 10 Arizona State and capture the Pac-12 team title Wednesday at
Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton, Calif.
There were plenty of fireworks in the battle for the
individual title as well as Arizona State’s Linnea Strom, a freshman from
Sweden, outdueled UCLA’s Bronte Law, a junior from England and ranked No. 1 in
Division I by Golfstat, to claim the
Pac-12 crown.
The Trojans posted a 5-over 293 in Wednesday’s final round –
18 shots higher than the ridiculous 275 they carded in Tuesday’s second round –
for an 18-under 846 total that was three shots clear of cross-town rival UCLA
and five shots better than Arizona State.
UCLA, with Law firing a 6-under 66 and Lilia Vu, a freshman
from Fountain Valley, Calif., carding a 3-under 69, closed with a 5-under 283
for a 15-under 849 total. Arizona State, with Strom matching Law’s brilliant
6-under 66 and Monica Vaughn, a junior from Reedsport, Ore. and a member of the
U.S. Curtis Cup team, carding a 3-under 69, had the day’s best score, a 6-under
282, for a 13-under 851 total.
Arizona State leapfrogged in-state rival Arizona, ranked 11th,
to get third as the Wildcats posted a 2-over 290 and finished fourth at 8-under
856. Colorado, ranked 40th, rounded out the top five with a
final-round 294 and an even-par 864 total.
But USC showed plenty of grit in closing out this one, its fifth
tournament win of the year. The Trojans know how good their Pac-12 rivals are
and they knew they’d be coming after them on the final day.
Gabriella Then, a junior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., led
the way for USC, carding a final-round 73 over the 6,458-yard, par-72 Ruby Hill
layout to finish in a tie for third in the individual chase at 8-under 208.
Then had lit the fuse on Tuesday’s second-round explosion when she grabbed the
individual lead with a 7-under 65.
Karen Chung, a junior from Livingston, N.J., and Tiffany
Chan, a junior from Hong Kong, snuck into the top 10 in the individual standings,
tying for 10th at 3-under 213. Chung had a final-round 73 and Chan
carded a 74.
Robynn Ree, a freshman from Redondo Beach, Calif., had a
final-round 76 to finish in a tie for 12th at 1-under 215. And Kyung
Kim, the senior stalwart from Chandler, Ariz., finished tied for 18th
at even-par 216. The steady Kim’s final-round 73 gave USC just enough breathing
room.
Strom had a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th to
finish off her final-round 66 that was just enough to hold off Law, who had
finished off her 66 with a birdie at 18 just ahead of Strom.
Strom, who entered the day trailing Then by four shots,
finished at 11-under 205, a conference record. She became the 10th
Sun Devil to win the Pac-12 individual title and the first since LPGA Tour
player Carlota Ciganda won her second straight crown in 2010.
Law, who did nothing to tarnish her No. 1 individual
ranking, finished a shot back in second at 10-under 206. Her teammate, Vu,
shared third with USC’s Then at 8-under 208.
Arizona State’s Vaughn led the group of four players who
finished tied for fifth at 6-under 210. The rest of that foursome included
Washington’s Charlotte Thomas, a senior from England, Arizona’s Krystal
Quihuis, a sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., and Colorado’s Alexis Keating, a
senior from Elma, Wash.
Thomas opened the tournament with a 75, but went 67-68
in the last two rounds. Quihuis carded her second straight 69 for a strong
finish. Keating, who had surged into contention with a 6-under 66 in Tuesday’s
middle round, fell back with a final-round 74.
Suffice it say, the Pac-12 will be well-represented when the
NCAA Regional qualifiers are released next week.
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