Nielsen Earns Top-15 Finish in Los Angeles

Sunday, February 9

Los Angeles, CA

All Day

University of Oregon

Northrop Grumman Challenge

02/11/20 | Women's Golf

Results

By: Nate Krueger

LOS ANGELES – Freshman Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen fired a 1-under 70 in the final round to earn a top-15 finish at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and lead the Oregon women's golf team to its best showing of the week on Tuesday at Palos Verdes Golf Club.

Nielsen was consistently solid all week, shooting even par for the tournament and finishing tied for 12th overall against a loaded field that featured 12 top-20 teams and some of the top-ranked players in the nation. No. 15 Oregon finished 10th in the 16-team field after closing the week with a 5-over 289 on Tuesday, a seven-stroke improvement from Monday's second round.

"This was really an invaluable experience for our team to be able to play against a national championship-level field," said head coach Derek Radley. "To be invited to play in the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge was a personal goal of mine when I got to Oregon a year and a half ago. For us to play in this year's event is a testament to how hard our ladies have worked and how committed they are to being one of the top teams in the country.

"We didn't play our best golf, but we battled all week and really showed improvement today after struggling a little bit yesterday. I'm really excited to be able to take what we learned here and apply it as we continue to grow and get better throughout the spring."

How it Happened: Nielsen got her final round off to a tremendous start, making birdy on her first hole before carding her first collegiate eagle on a par 4 on her sixth hole to dip to 3-under par. The freshman had four bogeys in an eight-hole stretch and was 1 over with two holes remaining, but she rebounded with back-to-back birdies to finish 1-under par on the day and get back to even for the week.

"Sofie was just so steady all week long," said Radley. "She is so talented and for her to come out and do what she did as a true freshman in an event like this is incredibly impressive."

Fellow freshman Briana Chacon also enjoyed a strong final round, making four birdies en route to an even-par 71. Chacon wrapped up the tournament in a tie for 36th at 8 over, one stroke behind sophomore Tze-Han (Heather) Lin, who shot 4-over 75 on Tuesday to close at 7 over and in a tie for 29th.

Senior Amy Matsuoka posted her best round of the day with a 2-over 73, improving her score each round throughout the week. Matsuoka was 1 under across her final nine holes, and she ended the tournament at 12 over. Freshman Ching-Tzu Chen rounded out the lineup at 18 over after shooting a 5-over 76 on Tuesday.

"I want to thank (host team) Ohio State and Northrop Grumman for putting on such an incredible event," said Radley. "This was a great opportunity that not many teams get to be a part of, and we were honored to be able to kick off our spring season with such an awesome experience."

Ducks on the Leaderboard
10. Oregon – 291-296-289 – 876 (+24)
T12. Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen – 71-72-70 – 213 (E)
T29. Tze-Han (Heather) Lin – 70-75-75 – 220 (+7)
T36. Briana Chacon – 75-75-71 – 221 (+8)
T53. Amy Matsuoka – 78-74-73 – 225 (+12)
T72. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75-80-76 – 231 (+18)

Notable: Nielsen was one of 11 players in the field to record an eagle, and she led the Ducks with 10 birdies throughout the week … Chacon and Chen both finished the week at 3 under on par 5 holes, with both Nielsen and Lin at 2 under … Oregon was 8 under as a team on par 5s, the third-best mark in the field.

Up Next: Oregon will be back in action in California on Feb. 24-25 at the Bruin Wave Invitational in San Luis Obispo.