SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN DIFFERENT CLASS AS THEY WIN NCAA WOMEN'S TITLE
FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By JULIE WILLIAMS
ATHENS, Georgia –– Southern California University (USC)’s national championship will go down in the books next to a number of descriptors, blowout and runaway chief among them.
But a 21-shot victory on Friday at the University of Georgia Golf Course amounted to something else for the Trojans: a final endurance test.
“There is no big lead when you have conditions like this,” USC head coach Andrea Gaston said of a windy final round in the 72-hole national championship. “I saw so much fight from all of these girls.”
The Trojans took a 17-shot lead into the final round, which inspired another adjective: insurmountable.
Such an advantage can evaporate at a surprising rate in team golf, but USC barely gave up a stroke over the opening holes. USC shot even-par 288 in the final round, which was the lowest team score for the fourth consecutive day, to finish at 19-under 1,133.
It’s the first time in championship history that a team has outscored every other opponent in every round since Tulsa accomplished the feat in 1982 at the first NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. USC’s 19-under total blows away the previous championship scoring record of 4 under.
Freshman Annie Park is a big reason for all those marks falling. The 18-year-old finished the final round bogey-double bogey-birdie, but at 10 under, still was six shots ahead of runner-up Lindy Duncan of Duke, last season’s player of the year. Among the lore that will go down with Park’s victory is her ability to hit every par 5 in two on the University of Georgia course. She nearly reached the par-5 12th with a driver and a 7-iron in Round 3, but a tailwind let up as she struck her approach.
Park was a welcome addition to USC's spring roster after she graduated high school early and joined the Trojans at mid-season. Since the junior golf world last saw her, Park has gained noticeable yardage throughout the bag, something she attributes to structured work-outs with the team.
The whole team Southern California team knows how to bounce back, something that three of the five players learned the hard way when the Trojans lost to Alabama by one shot a year ago at this tournament. That’s old news, but it doesn’t take away the sting. “I think it just gave us a lot of fire,” junior Rachel Morris said of last year's heartbreaking loss.
The NCAA Championship was spring start No. 8 for the Trojans, whose season ended in a vastly different way than it began. The Trojans played their three fall starts with five players, pulling in walk-on Kimberly Santiago to have the option of a dropped score. USC finished third, third and first in the fall, but still was holding out for Park.
“We were so strong for a little team,” said junior Sophia Popov.
Park, a 5ft 9in New Yorker, did more than contribute. Her run-up to the national championship included a Pac-12 title and the NCAA West Regional title.
Popov says the team survived and benefited from playing with a slim roster because they knew what was ahead. For players like Morris, it was the necessary kick to take her game to the next level.
Silverstein calls Morris the most improved player on the team. This season’s stroke average was the lowest of her career
The team won five times in the spring, not counting the national championship. The drop score got lower and the Trojans continued to put into practice the every-shot-counts adage learned in the fall. As Morris explained, “That just helps all of us.”
As for Park, even Gaston didn’t expect such strong play right out of the gate. Park may have surprised even herself, but the scouting report on her was big. Teammates knew she would spell relief from Day 1, whether or not that meant winning the national championship.
“This result was very unexpected for myself,” Park said. “I was just trying to play my best each round and each shot. . . . It feels great.”
Georgia head coach Josh Brewer helped recruit many of the players on USC’s roster, Park among them, and stood behind the 18th green like a proud papa as USC won a national championship on the course he now calls home.
The victory wasn’t surprising, but to someone who knows these fairways, the winning margin was.
A 21-shot victory provides just cause to storm a green and dump a cooler on an unsuspecting coach, and USC didn’t waste that opportunity. The Trojans hit the 18th green with fire in their legs, as if they hadn’t just done 72 holes of battle.
But as Brewer will tell you, Gaston’s teams “are always fresh” come postseason. That’s a proven strategy from the veteran coach, who has experienced success with many coaching moves through the years. This national title is the third in her 17 seasons with the Trojans.
Another page from Gaston’s coaching manual says to trust your players in times of pressure.
“You have to let your thoroughbreds run,” Gaston said.
In Athens, they lapped the field.
BRITWATCH: Stephanie Meadow just wasn't Stephanie Meadow in the final round of the NCAA Div 1 Championship. An eight-over-par round of 80 was her worst round for many a long day, certainly since she enrolled at the University of Alabama.
Challenging for the individual title at the start of the day, Curtis Cup heroine Stephanie, from Jordanstown, Northern Ireland, finished joint sixth on one-over 289 (69-67-73-80), 11 shots behind the winner, Annie Park (Southern California) (70-67-70-71).
Meadow, who will be defending the British women's title at Machynys Penisula, near Llanelli in South Wales, next month, had only one birdie, at the fifth, in halves of 38 and 42 for the disappointing final round..
She had a double bogey 6 at the ninth and a double bogey 5 at the short 16th as well as dropping other shots at regular intervals - the first, fourth, 12th, short 13th.
Alabama, the defending champions and ranked No 2 nationwide, finished seventh, an unbelievable 56 shots behind the winners.
Their last round team total of 28-over-par 316 as the winds gusted and swirled over a difficult course was their highest of the college season.
"I wish I knew what when wrong so I could correct it," Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. "I asked myself the question, `what happened to the team that was 4-under par after 36 holes.' "Obviously, the wind was a factor and the greens got firmer and faster. I think we mentally need to get stronger and tougher. "We have to come away from this and say, `what do we need to do to get better.' Clearly was have to practise differently and practise for this occasion and we need to learn to ride that momentum we had coming in all the way through the tournament."
Duke (1154) finished runners-up, 32 shots behind Southern California. Purdie (1173) and UCLA (1174) finished third and fourth. Arizona State (1181) were fifth and Auburn (1183) sixth ... then came Alabama ...
Aberdeen-born Gemma Dryburgh's team, Tulane University from New Orleans, totalled 1191 and finished joint ninth.
Stanford University, California, for whom Edinburgh-born Sally Watson was playing her last college tournament after four years in the States, finished T13 on 1200.
Gemma made the top 20 in joint 17th place on 293 - 15 shots behind winner Annie Park. Dryburgh's putting let her down over the last three rounds of 74 each time. She had begun the tournament with a 71.
Gemma's two birdies in the final round came at the long 12th and short 13th in halves of 36-38. She bogeyed the short third, 11th, long 15th and long 16th.
On the same 293 mark came former Loretto student and past Scottish schoolgirls champion Julie Yang, now a student at Oklahoma State University, with rounds of 74, 72, 73 and 74.
Sally Watson finished joint 73rd on 305. Only in the second round did the former Curtis Cup Scot show anything like her true capabilities. Her four rounds were 76, 73, 77 and 79.
She had a double bogey 7 at the long 12th and a double bogey 5 at the short 15th, also shedding a single shot to par at each of the following: short third, fifth, ninth and long 18th in halves of 37-42.
Sally's lone birdie came at the sixth.
LEADING FINAL INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Yardage 6372.
278 Annie Park (Southern California) 70 67 70 71.
284 Lindy Duncan (Duke) 72 71 71 70.
286 Paula Reto (Purdue) 71 73 70 72.
287 Celine Boutier (Duke) 69 73 71 74, Erynne Lee (UCLA) 71 70 73 73.
289 Kyung Kim (Southern California) 74 69 69 77, Stephanie Meadow (Alabama) 69 67 73 80 (T6).
SELECTED TOTALS
293 Gemma Dryburgh (Tulane) 71 74 74 74, Julie Yang (Oklahoma State) 74 72 73 74 (T17).
305 Sally Watson (Stanford) 76 73 77 79 (T73).
By JULIE WILLIAMS
ATHENS, Georgia –– Southern California University (USC)’s national championship will go down in the books next to a number of descriptors, blowout and runaway chief among them.
But a 21-shot victory on Friday at the University of Georgia Golf Course amounted to something else for the Trojans: a final endurance test.
“There is no big lead when you have conditions like this,” USC head coach Andrea Gaston said of a windy final round in the 72-hole national championship. “I saw so much fight from all of these girls.”
The Trojans took a 17-shot lead into the final round, which inspired another adjective: insurmountable.
Such an advantage can evaporate at a surprising rate in team golf, but USC barely gave up a stroke over the opening holes. USC shot even-par 288 in the final round, which was the lowest team score for the fourth consecutive day, to finish at 19-under 1,133.
It’s the first time in championship history that a team has outscored every other opponent in every round since Tulsa accomplished the feat in 1982 at the first NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. USC’s 19-under total blows away the previous championship scoring record of 4 under.
Freshman Annie Park is a big reason for all those marks falling. The 18-year-old finished the final round bogey-double bogey-birdie, but at 10 under, still was six shots ahead of runner-up Lindy Duncan of Duke, last season’s player of the year. Among the lore that will go down with Park’s victory is her ability to hit every par 5 in two on the University of Georgia course. She nearly reached the par-5 12th with a driver and a 7-iron in Round 3, but a tailwind let up as she struck her approach.
Park was a welcome addition to USC's spring roster after she graduated high school early and joined the Trojans at mid-season. Since the junior golf world last saw her, Park has gained noticeable yardage throughout the bag, something she attributes to structured work-outs with the team.
The whole team Southern California team knows how to bounce back, something that three of the five players learned the hard way when the Trojans lost to Alabama by one shot a year ago at this tournament. That’s old news, but it doesn’t take away the sting. “I think it just gave us a lot of fire,” junior Rachel Morris said of last year's heartbreaking loss.
The NCAA Championship was spring start No. 8 for the Trojans, whose season ended in a vastly different way than it began. The Trojans played their three fall starts with five players, pulling in walk-on Kimberly Santiago to have the option of a dropped score. USC finished third, third and first in the fall, but still was holding out for Park.
“We were so strong for a little team,” said junior Sophia Popov.
Park, a 5ft 9in New Yorker, did more than contribute. Her run-up to the national championship included a Pac-12 title and the NCAA West Regional title.
Popov says the team survived and benefited from playing with a slim roster because they knew what was ahead. For players like Morris, it was the necessary kick to take her game to the next level.
Silverstein calls Morris the most improved player on the team. This season’s stroke average was the lowest of her career
The team won five times in the spring, not counting the national championship. The drop score got lower and the Trojans continued to put into practice the every-shot-counts adage learned in the fall. As Morris explained, “That just helps all of us.”
As for Park, even Gaston didn’t expect such strong play right out of the gate. Park may have surprised even herself, but the scouting report on her was big. Teammates knew she would spell relief from Day 1, whether or not that meant winning the national championship.
“This result was very unexpected for myself,” Park said. “I was just trying to play my best each round and each shot. . . . It feels great.”
Georgia head coach Josh Brewer helped recruit many of the players on USC’s roster, Park among them, and stood behind the 18th green like a proud papa as USC won a national championship on the course he now calls home.
The victory wasn’t surprising, but to someone who knows these fairways, the winning margin was.
A 21-shot victory provides just cause to storm a green and dump a cooler on an unsuspecting coach, and USC didn’t waste that opportunity. The Trojans hit the 18th green with fire in their legs, as if they hadn’t just done 72 holes of battle.
But as Brewer will tell you, Gaston’s teams “are always fresh” come postseason. That’s a proven strategy from the veteran coach, who has experienced success with many coaching moves through the years. This national title is the third in her 17 seasons with the Trojans.
Another page from Gaston’s coaching manual says to trust your players in times of pressure.
“You have to let your thoroughbreds run,” Gaston said.
In Athens, they lapped the field.
BRITWATCH: Stephanie Meadow just wasn't Stephanie Meadow in the final round of the NCAA Div 1 Championship. An eight-over-par round of 80 was her worst round for many a long day, certainly since she enrolled at the University of Alabama.
Challenging for the individual title at the start of the day, Curtis Cup heroine Stephanie, from Jordanstown, Northern Ireland, finished joint sixth on one-over 289 (69-67-73-80), 11 shots behind the winner, Annie Park (Southern California) (70-67-70-71).
Meadow, who will be defending the British women's title at Machynys Penisula, near Llanelli in South Wales, next month, had only one birdie, at the fifth, in halves of 38 and 42 for the disappointing final round..
She had a double bogey 6 at the ninth and a double bogey 5 at the short 16th as well as dropping other shots at regular intervals - the first, fourth, 12th, short 13th.
Alabama, the defending champions and ranked No 2 nationwide, finished seventh, an unbelievable 56 shots behind the winners.
Their last round team total of 28-over-par 316 as the winds gusted and swirled over a difficult course was their highest of the college season.
"I wish I knew what when wrong so I could correct it," Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. "I asked myself the question, `what happened to the team that was 4-under par after 36 holes.' "Obviously, the wind was a factor and the greens got firmer and faster. I think we mentally need to get stronger and tougher. "We have to come away from this and say, `what do we need to do to get better.' Clearly was have to practise differently and practise for this occasion and we need to learn to ride that momentum we had coming in all the way through the tournament."
Duke (1154) finished runners-up, 32 shots behind Southern California. Purdie (1173) and UCLA (1174) finished third and fourth. Arizona State (1181) were fifth and Auburn (1183) sixth ... then came Alabama ...
Aberdeen-born Gemma Dryburgh's team, Tulane University from New Orleans, totalled 1191 and finished joint ninth.
Stanford University, California, for whom Edinburgh-born Sally Watson was playing her last college tournament after four years in the States, finished T13 on 1200.
Gemma made the top 20 in joint 17th place on 293 - 15 shots behind winner Annie Park. Dryburgh's putting let her down over the last three rounds of 74 each time. She had begun the tournament with a 71.
Gemma's two birdies in the final round came at the long 12th and short 13th in halves of 36-38. She bogeyed the short third, 11th, long 15th and long 16th.
On the same 293 mark came former Loretto student and past Scottish schoolgirls champion Julie Yang, now a student at Oklahoma State University, with rounds of 74, 72, 73 and 74.
Sally Watson finished joint 73rd on 305. Only in the second round did the former Curtis Cup Scot show anything like her true capabilities. Her four rounds were 76, 73, 77 and 79.
She had a double bogey 7 at the long 12th and a double bogey 5 at the short 15th, also shedding a single shot to par at each of the following: short third, fifth, ninth and long 18th in halves of 37-42.
Sally's lone birdie came at the sixth.
LEADING FINAL INDIVIDUAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Yardage 6372.
278 Annie Park (Southern California) 70 67 70 71.
284 Lindy Duncan (Duke) 72 71 71 70.
286 Paula Reto (Purdue) 71 73 70 72.
287 Celine Boutier (Duke) 69 73 71 74, Erynne Lee (UCLA) 71 70 73 73.
289 Kyung Kim (Southern California) 74 69 69 77, Stephanie Meadow (Alabama) 69 67 73 80 (T6).
SELECTED TOTALS
293 Gemma Dryburgh (Tulane) 71 74 74 74, Julie Yang (Oklahoma State) 74 72 73 74 (T17).
305 Sally Watson (Stanford) 76 73 77 79 (T73).
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