Wednesday, September 11
Lake Elmo, Minn.
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
Annika Intercollegiate
Ducks Surge To Second Place Finish
09/11/24 | Women's Golf
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — The Oregon women's golf team fired a terrific 7-under 281 on Wednesday to move up two spots and earn a second-place finish in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club.
The No. 8 Ducks posted a runner-up finish for the second year in a row at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, with four players finishing in the individual top 20.
Sophomores Kiara Romero (68) and Karen Tsuru (69) both shot sub-70 in the final round, and freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham was right behind with a 2-under 70 as Oregon posted the third-lowest round of the day.
"Really proud of the way our team came out and performed in this first tournament of the season," head coach Derek Radley said. "To finish second in this field with two freshmen and two sophomores in our lineup is a testament to the talent we have on this roster and the preparation these ladies have put in all summer long. This was a great start for us and we're excited to get back to work and continue to get better as we move through the fall."
How it Happened: The Ducks entered the final round two strokes behind Duke for third place and five strokes back of Wake Forest for second. Oregon's four counting scorers combined to shoot 1 over on the front nine on Wednesday, but then caught fire with an 8-under par showing on the back nine to jump both the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons and secure second place at 4-under par overall.
Romero provided the biggest boost on the back nine. After making the turn at 1 over, the 2023-24 first-team all-American rattled off five birdies with no bogeys on the back nine to post Oregon's low round of the day with a 4-under 68. It was a big bounce-back performance for Romero, who posted an uncharacteristic 5-over 77 in Tuesday's second round.
Tsuru capped her best tournament so far as a Duck with a 3-under 69, the first sub-70 performance of her collegiate career. She started her round with back-to-back birdies, the first two of six on the day, and came back from a bogey at No. 13 to shoot 1 under over her last five holes.
Vinijchaitham shot under par for the second straight round, following her 3-under 69 on Tuesday with a 2-under 70 on Wednesday. The true freshman made just one bogey in the round while carding birdies at No. 1, No. 9 and No. 12.
Freshman Tong An completed Oregon's counting scores with a 2-over 74, giving the Ducks four players in the top 20. Tsuru led the way in a tie for ninth at 3-under par, securing her first career top-10 finish.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
2. Oregon – 290-289-281 – 860 (-4)
T9. Karen Tsuru – 72-72-69 – 213 (-3)
T11. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham – 75-69-70 – 214 (-2)
15. Kiara Romero – 71-77-68 – 216 (E)
T16. Tong An – 72-71-74 – 217 (+1)
T59. Sonja Tang – 77-78-81 – 236 (+20)
Notable: Romero has now shot par-or-better in 26 of 34 rounds in her Oregon career, and Tsuru has done so seven times since joining the lineup in the final regular season tournament of the spring … South Carolina won the team title at 31-under par … Oregon trailed only South Carolina in both par-3 (E) and par-5 (-15) scoring … The Ducks tied with Wake Forest for the most pars in the field with 171 … An led all players with 39 total pars.
Up Next: Oregon will return to action at the Windy City Classic in Wilmette, Ill., beginning on Sept. 30.
The No. 8 Ducks posted a runner-up finish for the second year in a row at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, with four players finishing in the individual top 20.
Sophomores Kiara Romero (68) and Karen Tsuru (69) both shot sub-70 in the final round, and freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham was right behind with a 2-under 70 as Oregon posted the third-lowest round of the day.
"Really proud of the way our team came out and performed in this first tournament of the season," head coach Derek Radley said. "To finish second in this field with two freshmen and two sophomores in our lineup is a testament to the talent we have on this roster and the preparation these ladies have put in all summer long. This was a great start for us and we're excited to get back to work and continue to get better as we move through the fall."
How it Happened: The Ducks entered the final round two strokes behind Duke for third place and five strokes back of Wake Forest for second. Oregon's four counting scorers combined to shoot 1 over on the front nine on Wednesday, but then caught fire with an 8-under par showing on the back nine to jump both the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons and secure second place at 4-under par overall.
Romero provided the biggest boost on the back nine. After making the turn at 1 over, the 2023-24 first-team all-American rattled off five birdies with no bogeys on the back nine to post Oregon's low round of the day with a 4-under 68. It was a big bounce-back performance for Romero, who posted an uncharacteristic 5-over 77 in Tuesday's second round.
Tsuru capped her best tournament so far as a Duck with a 3-under 69, the first sub-70 performance of her collegiate career. She started her round with back-to-back birdies, the first two of six on the day, and came back from a bogey at No. 13 to shoot 1 under over her last five holes.
Vinijchaitham shot under par for the second straight round, following her 3-under 69 on Tuesday with a 2-under 70 on Wednesday. The true freshman made just one bogey in the round while carding birdies at No. 1, No. 9 and No. 12.
Freshman Tong An completed Oregon's counting scores with a 2-over 74, giving the Ducks four players in the top 20. Tsuru led the way in a tie for ninth at 3-under par, securing her first career top-10 finish.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
2. Oregon – 290-289-281 – 860 (-4)
T9. Karen Tsuru – 72-72-69 – 213 (-3)
T11. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham – 75-69-70 – 214 (-2)
15. Kiara Romero – 71-77-68 – 216 (E)
T16. Tong An – 72-71-74 – 217 (+1)
T59. Sonja Tang – 77-78-81 – 236 (+20)
Notable: Romero has now shot par-or-better in 26 of 34 rounds in her Oregon career, and Tsuru has done so seven times since joining the lineup in the final regular season tournament of the spring … South Carolina won the team title at 31-under par … Oregon trailed only South Carolina in both par-3 (E) and par-5 (-15) scoring … The Ducks tied with Wake Forest for the most pars in the field with 171 … An led all players with 39 total pars.
Up Next: Oregon will return to action at the Windy City Classic in Wilmette, Ill., beginning on Sept. 30.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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