Monday, May 9
Albuquerque, NM
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
NCAA Albuquerque Regional
Photo by: Mike Sandoval
Chacon's Stellar Round Powers Ducks To Early Lead
05/09/22 | Women's Golf
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Junior Briana Chacon enjoyed the best round of her collegiate career on Monday, firing a phenomenal 7-under 65 to stake the Oregon women's golf team to a three-stroke lead through the first 18 holes of the NCAA Albuquerque Regional at UNM Championship Course.
Powered by Chacon's stellar round, the No. 2 ranked and top-seeded Ducks finished round one with a terrific 4-under 284. No. 13 Texas is three strokes back at 1 under, with No. 11 Florida in third at even par and both Georgia and TCU tied for fourth at 4 over. The top four teams at the end of the three-day tournament will advance to the 2022 NCAA Championships.
"Really proud of the way our team came out and set the tone today," head coach Derek Radley said. "We said going into this that we're not coming here with the goal of just finishing top four, we're coming here to win. I thought they really embraced that mindset and did a great job of both playing smart and being aggressive."
Chacon's 7-under 65 is two strokes better than her previous career best, and she set a new UNM Championship Course record for an NCAA Regional or NCAA Championships. She joins teammates Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu and Tze-Han (Heather) Lin as Ducks to shoot a 65 this season, moving into a tie for the third-best single round in UO individual history.
Chacon is the individual leader through 18 holes at 7 under, with four players in a tie for second place at 4 under. Oregon has never won the team title or had the individual medalist at an NCAA Regional.
"Briana was phenomenal today," Radley said. "She was locked in from the get-go. I've said all season that any one of these five can go low and be our top player in any given round, and today was Briana's day. Really proud of her and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."
How it Happened: Chacon was nearly flawless on the day, carding six birdies and an eagle against just one bogey. She made three straight birdies on holes 3-5 followed by four pars to make the turn at 3-under par.
After a bogey at No. 10, Chacon bounced right back with a birdie at No. 11 and then holed out from the fairway on No. 12 for her second eagle of the season to get to 5 under. The 2021 all-American made another birdie at No. 14 to get to 6-under par, and she closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th to put an exclamation point on her round.
Chacon was joined under par by Lu, who used a strong finish on the back nine to fire a 1-under 71. The 2022 Pac-12 individual champion was even at the turn before starting the back nine with a double bogey, but she rebounded with four birdies in her final seven holes to finish the day under par.
Chacon and Lu were two of 13 total players to shoot under par on Monday, with Lu in a tie for eighth overall at 1 under. Chacon shot in the 60s for the third time this season and seventh in her career, while Lu finished par-or-better for the team-leading 20th time in 31 rounds this season.
Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen was a steady presence in the lineup with a 1-over 73 behind 15 pars, good for third-most in the field. Lin and Ching-Tzu Chen each shot a 3-over 75 to round out the counting scores for the Ducks. Lin made three birdies to give her 99 in 2021-22, one away from becoming the fifth UO player ever to reach 100 in a season.
Team Leaderboard
1. #2 Oregon – 284 (-4)
2. #13 Texas – 287 (-1)
3. #11 Florida – 288 (E)
T4. Georgia – 292 (+4)
T4. TCU – 292 (+4)
6. #23 Arizona – 293 (+5)
7. Louisville – 295 (+7)
8. North Texas – 296 (+8)
9. Oklahoma – 299 (+11)
T10. New Mexico State – 302 (+14)
T10. Sam Houston – 302 (+14)
12. Northern Arizona – 309 (+21)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
1. Briana Chacon – 65 (-7)
T9. Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu – 71 (-1)
T17. Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen – 73 (+1)
T34. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75 (+3)
T34. Tze-Han (Heather) Lin – 75 (+3)
Notable: Oregon's 4-under 284 is tied for the fourth-best team score at UNM Championship Course in an NCAA Regional or NCAA Championship … UO has now shot par or better in 16 of 31 rounds this season … The Ducks led the field with 18 total birdies and were the top team on par-4s at 4 over … Chacon led all players on par-4 holes at 3-under par … Chacon's six birdies tied for the most on the day, and she was one of four players to make an eagle.
Up Next: The Ducks will be paired with Texas and Florida on Tuesday and will tee off from hole No. 1 beginning at 8:06 a.m. PT.
8:06 a.m. – Ching-Tzu Chen
8:17 a.m. – Tze-Han (Heather) Lin
8:28 a.m. – Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen
8:39 a.m. – Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu
8:50 a.m. – Briana Chacon
Powered by Chacon's stellar round, the No. 2 ranked and top-seeded Ducks finished round one with a terrific 4-under 284. No. 13 Texas is three strokes back at 1 under, with No. 11 Florida in third at even par and both Georgia and TCU tied for fourth at 4 over. The top four teams at the end of the three-day tournament will advance to the 2022 NCAA Championships.
"Really proud of the way our team came out and set the tone today," head coach Derek Radley said. "We said going into this that we're not coming here with the goal of just finishing top four, we're coming here to win. I thought they really embraced that mindset and did a great job of both playing smart and being aggressive."
Chacon's 7-under 65 is two strokes better than her previous career best, and she set a new UNM Championship Course record for an NCAA Regional or NCAA Championships. She joins teammates Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu and Tze-Han (Heather) Lin as Ducks to shoot a 65 this season, moving into a tie for the third-best single round in UO individual history.
Chacon is the individual leader through 18 holes at 7 under, with four players in a tie for second place at 4 under. Oregon has never won the team title or had the individual medalist at an NCAA Regional.
"Briana was phenomenal today," Radley said. "She was locked in from the get-go. I've said all season that any one of these five can go low and be our top player in any given round, and today was Briana's day. Really proud of her and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."
How it Happened: Chacon was nearly flawless on the day, carding six birdies and an eagle against just one bogey. She made three straight birdies on holes 3-5 followed by four pars to make the turn at 3-under par.
After a bogey at No. 10, Chacon bounced right back with a birdie at No. 11 and then holed out from the fairway on No. 12 for her second eagle of the season to get to 5 under. The 2021 all-American made another birdie at No. 14 to get to 6-under par, and she closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th to put an exclamation point on her round.
Chacon was joined under par by Lu, who used a strong finish on the back nine to fire a 1-under 71. The 2022 Pac-12 individual champion was even at the turn before starting the back nine with a double bogey, but she rebounded with four birdies in her final seven holes to finish the day under par.
Chacon and Lu were two of 13 total players to shoot under par on Monday, with Lu in a tie for eighth overall at 1 under. Chacon shot in the 60s for the third time this season and seventh in her career, while Lu finished par-or-better for the team-leading 20th time in 31 rounds this season.
Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen was a steady presence in the lineup with a 1-over 73 behind 15 pars, good for third-most in the field. Lin and Ching-Tzu Chen each shot a 3-over 75 to round out the counting scores for the Ducks. Lin made three birdies to give her 99 in 2021-22, one away from becoming the fifth UO player ever to reach 100 in a season.
Team Leaderboard
1. #2 Oregon – 284 (-4)
2. #13 Texas – 287 (-1)
3. #11 Florida – 288 (E)
T4. Georgia – 292 (+4)
T4. TCU – 292 (+4)
6. #23 Arizona – 293 (+5)
7. Louisville – 295 (+7)
8. North Texas – 296 (+8)
9. Oklahoma – 299 (+11)
T10. New Mexico State – 302 (+14)
T10. Sam Houston – 302 (+14)
12. Northern Arizona – 309 (+21)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
1. Briana Chacon – 65 (-7)
T9. Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu – 71 (-1)
T17. Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen – 73 (+1)
T34. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75 (+3)
T34. Tze-Han (Heather) Lin – 75 (+3)
Notable: Oregon's 4-under 284 is tied for the fourth-best team score at UNM Championship Course in an NCAA Regional or NCAA Championship … UO has now shot par or better in 16 of 31 rounds this season … The Ducks led the field with 18 total birdies and were the top team on par-4s at 4 over … Chacon led all players on par-4 holes at 3-under par … Chacon's six birdies tied for the most on the day, and she was one of four players to make an eagle.
Up Next: The Ducks will be paired with Texas and Florida on Tuesday and will tee off from hole No. 1 beginning at 8:06 a.m. PT.
8:06 a.m. – Ching-Tzu Chen
8:17 a.m. – Tze-Han (Heather) Lin
8:28 a.m. – Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen
8:39 a.m. – Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu
8:50 a.m. – Briana Chacon
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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