Sunday, April 21
Pullman, WA
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
Pac-12 Championships
Photo by: Dean Hare/WSU Photo Services
Freshmen Shine, Ducks in Second After Round One
04/21/24 | Women's Golf
PULLMAN, Wash. — On the strength of terrific postseason debuts from true freshmen Karen Tsuru and Kiara Romero, the Oregon women's golf team is in second place through round one of the 2024 Pac-12 Championships.
The No. 16 Ducks finished Sunday's opening round at Palouse Ridge Golf Club with a 5-over 293, sitting seven strokes back of No. 1 Stanford (-2) for the team lead entering Monday's second round.
Playing in just her fourth collegiate round, Tsuru led the Ducks with a stellar 1-under 71 and is just one stroke back of the individual lead in a tie for third. Romero – the No. 5 ranked player in the country – carded her 18th par-or-better performance in 22 rounds this season with an even-par 72, putting her in a tie for sixth overall and just two strokes off the pace.
"Really proud of the way our team came out and got this tournament started today, especially those two freshmen," head coach Derek Radley said. "For Karen to come out and play the way she did after entering our lineup for the first time just last week, it really speaks to the hard work and preparation she has put in all season long. And Kiara continues to be a steady force at the top of our lineup and shows every time she goes out there why she is one of the best players in the country."
How it Happened: The Ducks started their round on the back nine, where Tsuru, Romero and Ching-Tzu Chen all opened with birdies. Tsuru would make a bogey at No. 13, but quickly bounced back with a birdie at No. 15 before making the turn at 1-under par.
Tsuru made her only other bogey of the day at No. 4, but again responded immediately with a birdie at No. 5 to get back to 1 under before finishing with four straight pars. She enters Monday just one stroke back of Washington State's Madelyn Gamble and USC's Catherine Park, who share the lead at 2 under.
Romero also made a bogey at No. 13 after opening with a birdie, but also came right back with a birdie. She did make another bogey at No. 15 and then a third at No. 3 to move to 1 over, but finished strong with five pars and a birdie at No. 7 to finish at even par.
Chen matched Tsuru and Romero with three birdies en route to a 3-over 75, and senior Minori Nagano also came in with a 75 to round out Oregon's counting scores.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
2. Oregon – 293 (+5)
T3. Karen Tsuru – 71 (-1)
T6. Kiara Romero – 72 (E)
T17. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75 (+3)
T17. Minori Nagano – 75 (+3)
T44. Ting-Hsuan Huang – 79 (+7)
Notable: Oregon was 1-under par on par-5 holes, joining Stanford as the only teams under par … Tsuru tied for the best mark in the field on par-5s at 2-under par … Chen's three birdies gave her 334 in her career, fifth-most in Oregon history and just four back of Kendra Little (338, 2008-11) for No. 4.
Up Next: The Ducks will tee off at 10:40 a.m. PT in Monday's second round and will be paired with the first-place Cardinal.
The No. 16 Ducks finished Sunday's opening round at Palouse Ridge Golf Club with a 5-over 293, sitting seven strokes back of No. 1 Stanford (-2) for the team lead entering Monday's second round.
Playing in just her fourth collegiate round, Tsuru led the Ducks with a stellar 1-under 71 and is just one stroke back of the individual lead in a tie for third. Romero – the No. 5 ranked player in the country – carded her 18th par-or-better performance in 22 rounds this season with an even-par 72, putting her in a tie for sixth overall and just two strokes off the pace.
"Really proud of the way our team came out and got this tournament started today, especially those two freshmen," head coach Derek Radley said. "For Karen to come out and play the way she did after entering our lineup for the first time just last week, it really speaks to the hard work and preparation she has put in all season long. And Kiara continues to be a steady force at the top of our lineup and shows every time she goes out there why she is one of the best players in the country."
How it Happened: The Ducks started their round on the back nine, where Tsuru, Romero and Ching-Tzu Chen all opened with birdies. Tsuru would make a bogey at No. 13, but quickly bounced back with a birdie at No. 15 before making the turn at 1-under par.
Tsuru made her only other bogey of the day at No. 4, but again responded immediately with a birdie at No. 5 to get back to 1 under before finishing with four straight pars. She enters Monday just one stroke back of Washington State's Madelyn Gamble and USC's Catherine Park, who share the lead at 2 under.
Romero also made a bogey at No. 13 after opening with a birdie, but also came right back with a birdie. She did make another bogey at No. 15 and then a third at No. 3 to move to 1 over, but finished strong with five pars and a birdie at No. 7 to finish at even par.
Chen matched Tsuru and Romero with three birdies en route to a 3-over 75, and senior Minori Nagano also came in with a 75 to round out Oregon's counting scores.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
2. Oregon – 293 (+5)
T3. Karen Tsuru – 71 (-1)
T6. Kiara Romero – 72 (E)
T17. Ching-Tzu Chen – 75 (+3)
T17. Minori Nagano – 75 (+3)
T44. Ting-Hsuan Huang – 79 (+7)
Notable: Oregon was 1-under par on par-5 holes, joining Stanford as the only teams under par … Tsuru tied for the best mark in the field on par-5s at 2-under par … Chen's three birdies gave her 334 in her career, fifth-most in Oregon history and just four back of Kendra Little (338, 2008-11) for No. 4.
Up Next: The Ducks will tee off at 10:40 a.m. PT in Monday's second round and will be paired with the first-place Cardinal.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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