Monday, February 23
Humble, Texas
All Day
University of Oregon
vs
Chevron Collegiate
Romero Leads After 36 Holes
02/23/26 | Women's Golf
HUMBLE, Texas – Oregon women's golf junior Kiara Romero is the individual leader through 36 holes at the Chevron Collegiate after shooting 8-under par across the first two rounds on Monday at the Golf Club of Houston.
Romero dazzled with a 6-under 66 in the opening round before firing a 2-under 70 in the afternoon. She holds a one-stroke lead in the individual standings as she aims to set a new program record with her fifth career tournament win.
No. 3 Oregon is tied for third place in the 17-team field at 8-under par, shooting 8 under in the opening round before coming in at even par in round two. No. 16 North Carolina leads the team race at 15-under with No. 20 Baylor two strokes ahead of the Ducks and SMU for second place at 10 under.
The Ducks got a big boost to their lineup with the return of junior Karen Tsuru, who made her 2025-26 debut after battling injuries. Tsuru fired a 3-under 69 in round one before matching Romero with a 2-under 70 in round two, and she is in fourth place individually and just three strokes back of Romero at 5-under par.
How it Happened: Romero ripped off an astounding nine birdies in the opening round and leads the field with 13 total birdies through 36 holes. She was 1 over through six holes to start the day before catching fire, making four birdies in six holes to get to 3 under. Romero then rattled off four consecutive birdies to end her opening round with a 6-under 66, tied for the low individual round of the day.
Romero made four more birdies in the second round, including three in her first nine holes to get to 9 under. She made two bogeys and a birdie across her final nine holes to close with a 2-under 70 and maintain a one-stroke lead over Texas State's Grace Quintanilla, who matched Romero with a 6-under 66 of her own in round two.
It was Tsuru who stole headlines early in the day, opening her season debut with back-to-back birdies and five in her first eight holes to get to 5 under. She remained there through 14 holes before making consecutive bogeys, but she finished strong with a pair of pars to card a 3-under 69.
Tsuru matched Romero with four birdies and just two bogeys in round two for a 2-under 70. Romero and Tsuru were two of just eight players in the field to shoot under par in each of the first two rounds.
Sophomore Tong An made six birdies in the opening round en route to a 1-under 71, and she finished with a 2-over 73 in the second round. Freshman Sophie Han was 2 over in each of the first two rounds to round out the counting scores, but she provided a big boost with an eagle on her final hole of round one to shave two strokes off of Oregon's score.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T3. Oregon — 280-288 — 568 (-8)
1. Kiara Romero — 66-70 — 136 (-8)
4. Karen Tsuru — 69-70 — 139 (-5)
T31. Tong An — 71-74 — 145 (+1)
T53. Sophie Han — 74-74 — 148 (+4)
T69. Darae Chung — 76-76 — 152 (+8)
Notable: Romero has now shot par-or-better in 62 of 78 career rounds and carded her 31st career round in the 60s ... Romero's 13 birdies pushed her career total to 321, moving her past Cathleen Santoso (317, 2014-17) for No. 6 in program history ... Romero has now shot 6 under or better six times as a Duck ... Tsuru has now shot par-or-better 18 times as a Duck and carded her 10th career round in the 60s ... Tsuru made her season debut after earning all-Big Ten first-team honors and WGCA all-America honorable mention recognition in 2024-25.
Up Next: The final round of the Chevron Collegiate will tee off with a shotgun start at 6 a.m. PT on Tuesday morning.
Romero dazzled with a 6-under 66 in the opening round before firing a 2-under 70 in the afternoon. She holds a one-stroke lead in the individual standings as she aims to set a new program record with her fifth career tournament win.
No. 3 Oregon is tied for third place in the 17-team field at 8-under par, shooting 8 under in the opening round before coming in at even par in round two. No. 16 North Carolina leads the team race at 15-under with No. 20 Baylor two strokes ahead of the Ducks and SMU for second place at 10 under.
The Ducks got a big boost to their lineup with the return of junior Karen Tsuru, who made her 2025-26 debut after battling injuries. Tsuru fired a 3-under 69 in round one before matching Romero with a 2-under 70 in round two, and she is in fourth place individually and just three strokes back of Romero at 5-under par.
How it Happened: Romero ripped off an astounding nine birdies in the opening round and leads the field with 13 total birdies through 36 holes. She was 1 over through six holes to start the day before catching fire, making four birdies in six holes to get to 3 under. Romero then rattled off four consecutive birdies to end her opening round with a 6-under 66, tied for the low individual round of the day.
Romero made four more birdies in the second round, including three in her first nine holes to get to 9 under. She made two bogeys and a birdie across her final nine holes to close with a 2-under 70 and maintain a one-stroke lead over Texas State's Grace Quintanilla, who matched Romero with a 6-under 66 of her own in round two.
It was Tsuru who stole headlines early in the day, opening her season debut with back-to-back birdies and five in her first eight holes to get to 5 under. She remained there through 14 holes before making consecutive bogeys, but she finished strong with a pair of pars to card a 3-under 69.
Tsuru matched Romero with four birdies and just two bogeys in round two for a 2-under 70. Romero and Tsuru were two of just eight players in the field to shoot under par in each of the first two rounds.
Sophomore Tong An made six birdies in the opening round en route to a 1-under 71, and she finished with a 2-over 73 in the second round. Freshman Sophie Han was 2 over in each of the first two rounds to round out the counting scores, but she provided a big boost with an eagle on her final hole of round one to shave two strokes off of Oregon's score.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T3. Oregon — 280-288 — 568 (-8)
1. Kiara Romero — 66-70 — 136 (-8)
4. Karen Tsuru — 69-70 — 139 (-5)
T31. Tong An — 71-74 — 145 (+1)
T53. Sophie Han — 74-74 — 148 (+4)
T69. Darae Chung — 76-76 — 152 (+8)
Notable: Romero has now shot par-or-better in 62 of 78 career rounds and carded her 31st career round in the 60s ... Romero's 13 birdies pushed her career total to 321, moving her past Cathleen Santoso (317, 2014-17) for No. 6 in program history ... Romero has now shot 6 under or better six times as a Duck ... Tsuru has now shot par-or-better 18 times as a Duck and carded her 10th career round in the 60s ... Tsuru made her season debut after earning all-Big Ten first-team honors and WGCA all-America honorable mention recognition in 2024-25.
Up Next: The final round of the Chevron Collegiate will tee off with a shotgun start at 6 a.m. PT on Tuesday morning.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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