Tuesday, February 4
Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
Therese Hession Regional Challenge
Historic Round Powers Ducks To Second-Place Finish
02/04/25 | Women's Golf
PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. - The Oregon women's golf team shot the low round of the week and the lowest total score in a round in program history on Tuesday afternoon to move up three spots and finish second in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes Golf Club.
The No. 6 Ducks fired an astounding 12-under 272 in the final round, five strokes better than any team this week and two strokes better than the previous program record of 274, set at the Westbrook Invitational in 2013-14.
After a 9-over 293 in Monday's round put them in a tie for fifth, the Ducks jumped past No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 Texas and Florida to finish alone in second place at 4-under par, behind only No. 4 USC (-9).
"Just an incredible day for the Ducks," head coach Derek Radley said. "We didn't have the round we wanted to have yesterday, but they came out focused and executed our game plan perfectly. To have the type of round we had today and to finish second in a field of this caliber is a testament to the talent and dedication of our ladies. What an awesome way to get our spring season started."
Freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham made history of her own, making nine birdies en route to breaking the Therese Hession Regional Challenge single-round scoring record with a 7-under 64. Vinijchaitham - who goes by the nickname 'Hut' - tied for the second-lowest score in UO single-round history, and tied for the third-lowest score vs. par ever by a Duck.
"Hut was absolutely dialed in today," Radley said. "That is one of the more impressive individual rounds I've ever seen, and for it to come from a true freshman is really amazing. This is an historic tournament that has hosted a lot of incredible players, so for her to break the scoring record at this event is really something. I couldn't be more proud of her."
The Ducks were led all week by star sophomore Kiara Romero, who shot below par for the third straight round with a 3-under 68. She finished alone in second overall with a 6-under 207 for the week, tied for the fifth-lowest score in a 54-hole tournament ever by a Duck.
"Kiara is our rock," Radley said. "She was so steady all week long and just has such command of the golf course every time she goes out there. She is one of the elite players in our sport and we are fortunate to have her at the top of our lineup."
Oregon also got a breakout performance from sophomore Ting-Hsuan Huang, who posted her best round as a Duck with a 4-under 67. The trio of Vinijchaitham, Huang and Romero combined to shoot 14-under par on Tuesday with 17 total birdies.
How it Happened: The final round began with a shotgun start, and Vinijchaitham opened her day with a bogey on No. 7. That was one of only two blemishes on the scorecard for the freshman, who birdied No. 9 before rattling off four consecutive birdies from No. 11 to No. 14. She added another birdie at No. 18 to shoot 5 under on the back nine, and then closed her round with three birdies in her final four holes to complete her historic round.
Vinijchaitham's stellar round vaulted her 35 spots up the leaderboard, finishing in a tie for sixth overall at 1-under par. Her 64 ties Alexis Phadungmartvorakul (2017-18) for the second-lowest score in program history, trailing only Cathleen Santoso's 63 from the Westbrook Invitational in 2013-14.
The only player to rise further up the leaderboard on Tuesday than Vinijchaitham was Huang, who flew up 36 spots into a tie for 21st. Huang was bogey-free on the day while making four birdies, including three in a five-hole span to open the back nine after starting her round at No. 8.
Romero was one of only three players in the field to shoot par-or-better in all three rounds, improving by a stroke each day after shooting a 70 on Sunday and a 69 on Monday. She started her round with a birdie on No. 5, and she too dominated on the back nine with three birdies and no bogeys. She was 4 under through 16 holes before making her lone bogey of the day at No. 3.
Romero now owns 33 par-or-better showings in 44 career rounds, and she fired her fourth sub-70 round of the season and 12th of her career. She matched her best finish of the season in second place, securing her ninth top-10 finish in 15 events.
Sophomore Karen Tsuru rounded out Oregon's counting scores on Tuesday with her best round of the week, a 2-over 73. Freshman Tong An didn't count towards the team score in the final round, but she earned a top-20 finish in a tie for 15th overall at 2-over par.
Team Leaderboard (top 5):
1. USC - 282-277-284 — 843 (-9)
2. Oregon - 283-293-272 — 848 (-4)
3. Texas - 291-280-283 — 854 (+2)
4. South Carolina - 282-290-284 — 856 (+4)
5. Florida - 284-280-293 — 857 (+5)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
2. Kiara Romero - 70-69-68 — 207 (-6)
T6. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham - 72-76-64 — 212 (-1)
T15. Tong An - 68-71-76 — 215 (+2)
T21. Ting-Hsuan Huang - 73-77-67 — 217 (+4)
T72. Karen Tsuru - 76-79-73 — 228 (+15)
Notable: Oregon finished the week with 54 total birdies, tied with South Carolina for the most in the field ... Vinijchaitham was the top player in the field on par-4 holes at 5-under par, and Romero was the top player on par-5 holes at 6-under par ... Romero finished the week with 14 total birdies, tied for second-most in the field ... Oregon's total score for the week of 848 tied for the sixth-lowest 54-hole total in program history.
Up Next: The Ducks will be back in action on Feb. 15-17 at the Alice & John Wallace Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
The No. 6 Ducks fired an astounding 12-under 272 in the final round, five strokes better than any team this week and two strokes better than the previous program record of 274, set at the Westbrook Invitational in 2013-14.
After a 9-over 293 in Monday's round put them in a tie for fifth, the Ducks jumped past No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 Texas and Florida to finish alone in second place at 4-under par, behind only No. 4 USC (-9).
"Just an incredible day for the Ducks," head coach Derek Radley said. "We didn't have the round we wanted to have yesterday, but they came out focused and executed our game plan perfectly. To have the type of round we had today and to finish second in a field of this caliber is a testament to the talent and dedication of our ladies. What an awesome way to get our spring season started."
Freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham made history of her own, making nine birdies en route to breaking the Therese Hession Regional Challenge single-round scoring record with a 7-under 64. Vinijchaitham - who goes by the nickname 'Hut' - tied for the second-lowest score in UO single-round history, and tied for the third-lowest score vs. par ever by a Duck.
"Hut was absolutely dialed in today," Radley said. "That is one of the more impressive individual rounds I've ever seen, and for it to come from a true freshman is really amazing. This is an historic tournament that has hosted a lot of incredible players, so for her to break the scoring record at this event is really something. I couldn't be more proud of her."
The Ducks were led all week by star sophomore Kiara Romero, who shot below par for the third straight round with a 3-under 68. She finished alone in second overall with a 6-under 207 for the week, tied for the fifth-lowest score in a 54-hole tournament ever by a Duck.
"Kiara is our rock," Radley said. "She was so steady all week long and just has such command of the golf course every time she goes out there. She is one of the elite players in our sport and we are fortunate to have her at the top of our lineup."
Oregon also got a breakout performance from sophomore Ting-Hsuan Huang, who posted her best round as a Duck with a 4-under 67. The trio of Vinijchaitham, Huang and Romero combined to shoot 14-under par on Tuesday with 17 total birdies.
How it Happened: The final round began with a shotgun start, and Vinijchaitham opened her day with a bogey on No. 7. That was one of only two blemishes on the scorecard for the freshman, who birdied No. 9 before rattling off four consecutive birdies from No. 11 to No. 14. She added another birdie at No. 18 to shoot 5 under on the back nine, and then closed her round with three birdies in her final four holes to complete her historic round.
Vinijchaitham's stellar round vaulted her 35 spots up the leaderboard, finishing in a tie for sixth overall at 1-under par. Her 64 ties Alexis Phadungmartvorakul (2017-18) for the second-lowest score in program history, trailing only Cathleen Santoso's 63 from the Westbrook Invitational in 2013-14.
The only player to rise further up the leaderboard on Tuesday than Vinijchaitham was Huang, who flew up 36 spots into a tie for 21st. Huang was bogey-free on the day while making four birdies, including three in a five-hole span to open the back nine after starting her round at No. 8.
Romero was one of only three players in the field to shoot par-or-better in all three rounds, improving by a stroke each day after shooting a 70 on Sunday and a 69 on Monday. She started her round with a birdie on No. 5, and she too dominated on the back nine with three birdies and no bogeys. She was 4 under through 16 holes before making her lone bogey of the day at No. 3.
Romero now owns 33 par-or-better showings in 44 career rounds, and she fired her fourth sub-70 round of the season and 12th of her career. She matched her best finish of the season in second place, securing her ninth top-10 finish in 15 events.
Sophomore Karen Tsuru rounded out Oregon's counting scores on Tuesday with her best round of the week, a 2-over 73. Freshman Tong An didn't count towards the team score in the final round, but she earned a top-20 finish in a tie for 15th overall at 2-over par.
Team Leaderboard (top 5):
1. USC - 282-277-284 — 843 (-9)
2. Oregon - 283-293-272 — 848 (-4)
3. Texas - 291-280-283 — 854 (+2)
4. South Carolina - 282-290-284 — 856 (+4)
5. Florida - 284-280-293 — 857 (+5)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
2. Kiara Romero - 70-69-68 — 207 (-6)
T6. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham - 72-76-64 — 212 (-1)
T15. Tong An - 68-71-76 — 215 (+2)
T21. Ting-Hsuan Huang - 73-77-67 — 217 (+4)
T72. Karen Tsuru - 76-79-73 — 228 (+15)
Notable: Oregon finished the week with 54 total birdies, tied with South Carolina for the most in the field ... Vinijchaitham was the top player in the field on par-4 holes at 5-under par, and Romero was the top player on par-5 holes at 6-under par ... Romero finished the week with 14 total birdies, tied for second-most in the field ... Oregon's total score for the week of 848 tied for the sixth-lowest 54-hole total in program history.
Up Next: The Ducks will be back in action on Feb. 15-17 at the Alice & John Wallace Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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