Pac-12 Title Defense Begins Monday In Phoenix

PHOENIX - The No. 6 ranked Oregon women's golf team will kick off postseason play on Monday at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships in Phoenix, Ariz. The Ducks are looking to defend their title after claiming the first conference championship in program history last season on their home course in Eugene.

Oregon is one of four top-25 teams in the field and the second-highest behind only No. 1 Stanford, and UO owns a competitive record of 32-7-1 against Pac-12 teams this season. The Ducks will also be in familiar territory at Papago Golf Course, having played the track just a few weeks ago at the PING/ASU Invitational.

2023 Pac-12 Championships
Dates: Monday, April 17 - Wednesday, April 19
Location: Phoenix, Ariz.
Course: Papago Golf Course
Par/Yards: 72/6,563
Format: Three rounds of stroke play, 18 holes each day

How To Follow
Live scoring for the Pac-12 Championships will be available at Golfstat.com. Live updates will be provided throughout the tournament on Twitter at @OregonWGolf. Pac-12 Network will air recaps and highlights following each round, as well as a Championship Show on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT.

Live Scoring: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=pairings&tid=27788

The Field (11 Teams)
No. 1 Stanford, No. 6 Oregon, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 14 USC, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington, Washington State

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Teeing Off For The Ducks (Scoring Avg.)
1. Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu (73.37)
2. Briana Chacon (73.68)
3. Ching-Tzu Chen (74.36)
4. Anika Varma (73.44)
5. Minori Nagano (74.61)
Alt. Ashleigh Park (72.13)

Numbers To Know
1 - Oregon captured its first Pac-12 Championship title in program history last season in Eugene, shooting 6-over par to win by seven strokes.
2 - Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu became the second Duck ever to win the Pac-12 individual title in 2022, fueled by a stellar 6-under 66 in the second round.
7 - The Ducks' win at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge was Oregon's seventh under HC Derek Radley, all since the spring of 2021.
253 - Senior Briana Chacon is currently tied for No. 9 in Oregon history with 253 career birdies, 10 away from No. 8.

Recapping Oregon's 2022 Pac-12 Title
The Ducks captured their first-ever Pac-12 Championship in dramatic fashion last year in Eugene, storming back from a slow start to win by seven strokes while fighting through brutal weather conditions. Oregon was in fifth through 18 holes before surging into the lead with a stellar 3-under 285, fueled by a phenomenal 6-under 66 from eventual individual champion Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu. Lu's round was one stroke off the Pac-12 Championships single-round record, and her five birdies powered Oregon to a 9-under par showing on the back nine in round two. The Ducks finished off the victory with a 2-over 290 in the final round to claim the conference title, while Lu (-6) joined Caroline Inglis (2015) as the only Ducks ever to win the individual championship.

Regular Season Wraps At Silverado Showdown
Oregon closed the 2022-23 regular season on April 5 at the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif., tying for sixth place in a 17-team field. The Ducks were led by Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu, who shot 6-over par to tie for 13th overall. Freshman Anika Varma continued her strong finish to the regular season in a tie for 15th (+7), and junior Minori Nagano matched her for her best finish of the season while competing as an individual.

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Freshman Varma Rides Momentum To Pac-12s
True freshman Anika Varma has provided a spark to Oregon's lineup in recent tournaments, earning back-to-back top-20 finishes after not playing since the fall opener. Varma shot 1-over par at the PING/ASU Invitational - at Papago Golf Course - to record her best finish yet in a tie for 11th overall, before tying for 15th at the Silverado Showdown. Varma's performance at Silverado was fueled by a career-best 3-under 69 in the second round, her first sub-70 showing as a collegian. Varma also made her first eagle as a Duck in the opening round.

Lu, Chacon Impress At Augusta National Women's Amateur
Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu and Briana Chacon shined on one of the biggest stages in women's golf earlier this month, playing in the prestigious Augusta National Women's Amateur. Both Ducks reached their goals of advancing to the final round after missing the cut last spring, earning the right to compete on the famous Augusta National Golf Course. Lu put together a tremendous week, shooting 2-under par (71-70-73) to earn a top-five finish in the elite field in a tie for fifth overall. Chacon also played well, finishing in a tie for 26th at 7-over par (71-74-78). The all-American duo faced a quick turnaround after the event, teeing off in the Silverado Showdown just two days after the final round of the ANWA.

Park Leading Ducks In First Season
Oregon's fall season was headlined by the emergence of junior Ashleigh Park, who led the Ducks with a stellar 71.90 scoring average in four fall events. A transfer from Texas, Park placed in the top 20 of all four tournaments with three top-10 finishes, including a career-best runner-up showing at the Pac-12 Preview after shooting 8-under par (70-69-72). On the season, Park leads Oregon in scoring average (72.74), rounds of par-or-better (10) and counting rounds (18), and she is the highest Duck on the individual Golfstat rankings at No. 31. Park has been dealing with an injury late in the season, missing the PING/ASU Invitational and fighting through the Silverado Showdown, and she will head to Phoenix as Oregon's alternate for the Pac-12 Championships as she aims to get healthy for NCAA play.

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