Women of Troy Swing Toward NCAA Championships
May 18, 2000 | Women's Golf
May 18, 2000
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS The No. 3 USC women's golf team heads to Sunriver, Ore., to compete in the 2000 NCAA Championships. The tournament will take place Wednesday-Saturday (May 24-27) at the Sunriver Golf Course and will be hosted by Oregon State University. Last year, USC finished seventh at the NCAA Women's Golf Championships held in Tulsa, Okla. The Women of Troy, who are coming off a third-place finish at the NCAA West Regional, are coached by Andrea Gaston and led by freshman Candie Kung, who is currently ranked third in the MasterCard rankings.
TELEVISION Live second and third round action will be televised live by ESPN2 from Noon-2 p.m. PDT. Saturday's fourth round will be tape delayed for Sunday broadcast via ESPN2, time is to be determined.
THE COURSE The Crosswater Golf Club is located near the Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon. The course will play to 6,502 yards and carry a par of 72.
SO FAR THIS SEASON The USC women's golf team has participated in 11 tournaments this season and performed well in each, powering the Women of Troy to an impressive No. 3 national ranking. USC opened the campaign with a second-place tie at the Oregon State Preview and did the same at the Dick Mcguire Classic before winning the team title at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational. The Women of Troy wrapped up the fall season with a fourth place showing at the Golf World/Palmetto Dunes Invitational. USC opened the 2000 spring season with a second-place showing at the TRW Regional Challenge and then finished tied for sixth at the Arizona Invitational, third at the Dr. Thompson Rainbow Tournament and fourth at the ASU/Ping Invitational before sharing the team title at the Peg Barnard Classic with Washington. The Women of Troy came in fifth at the Pac-10 Championships and third at the NCAA West Regionals. In addition to Candie Kung's outstanding performances, fellow freshman Mikaela Parmlid also had an impressive season, recording two top five finishes on her way to earning a No. 32 national ranking. Parmlid fell just short of the Pac-10 individual title after she was disqualified due to an error on her scorecard (she had actually defeated teammate Kung in a playoff for the apparent win). USC also received solid play from sophomore Leila Chartrand (34th) and junior Nicole Dalkas (41st).
HEAD COACH ANDREA GASTON In her fourth season as head coach, Andrea Gaston has the Women of Troy right where she wants them: among the elite of collegiate golf. Gaston's tireless scouting efforts have paid off in a dramatic fashion. Last season, USC scored its second-consecutive top 10 finish (7th) and won its first ever NCAA West Regional Championship. The Trojans were led by defending NCAA Individual Champion Jennifer Rosales, who was named the Collegiate Player of the Year. In 1997-'98, USC began the year ranked at No. 31 and finished at No. 8, after a seventh-place showing at the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis. Another bonus was having freshman Rosales win USC's first-ever women's NCAA individual title in only her sixth collegiate tournament. This season, the No. 3 Women of Troy are in a position to further their success under Gaston.
CANDIE KUNG Freshman sensation Candie Kung of Monterey Park (Calif.) has led the way for the Women of Troy in 1999-2000. The No. 3-ranked Kung was runner up at the NCAA West Regional on May 11-13, where she shot 211 (second best in USC history) and broke former 1998 NCAA Champion Jennifer Rosales' school record with a 65 second round. Kung won her first individual title at the Pac-10 Championships on April 24-26. It was the first Pac-10 individual title for a Trojan (and second overall) since Jennifer Biehn won in 1994. Kung's 72.3 stroke average is the lowest in Women of Troy history and she has seven top five finishes this season. Her score of 214 at the Oregon State Preview (which included two rounds of 69) was the lowest 54-hole debut in Women of Troy history and the fifth lowest overall. The top-ranked junior amateur girl in the world and the 1999 AJGA Player of the Year, Kung has a chance to duplicate the success of former Trojan Jennifer Rosales, who won the NCAA individual title as a freshman in 1998. For her efforts this season, Kung was named All Pac-10 first-team, the 10th Trojan to be so honored.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY Duke is the reigning NCAA Champion, winning last year's rain-shortened event at the Tulsa Country Club. The title was the first for the Blue Devils. Arizona State has won six team titles, including five of the last seven. San Jose State has three team titles, followed by Florida and Tulsa with two, and Arizona, Miami, TCU, and UCLA with one. There have been no individual repeat winners, ASU's Grace Park was the medalist last year at 4-under 212.
USC GOLFERS IN THE RANKINGS MasterCard Rankings No. 3 - Candie Kung No. 34 - Leila Chartrand No. 41 - Nicole Dalkas No. 43 - Mikaela Parmlid No. 58 - Linda Ishii
Golfweek Rankings No. 4 - Candi Kung No. 32 - Mikaela Parmlid No. 41 - Leila Chartrand No. 50 - Linda Ishii
