University Southern California Trojans
USC Ends Fall Slate At Pac-10/SEC Challenge
November 03, 2010 | Women's Golf
Nov. 3, 2010
The USC women's golf team, ranked No. 3 in Golfweek.com's top 25 with three top 3 finishes in as many events this season, wraps up the fall slate of play at the 2010 Pac-10/SEC Challenge at the Stanford G.C. in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday through Sunday (Nov. 5-7).
The Women of Troy, under 15th-year head coach Andrea Gaston, have their long-term sights set on challenging for the program's third NCAA title despite losing a pair of All-Americans from last year's NCAA second-place team, Belen Mozo and Jennifer Song.
The Pac-10/SEC Challenge field includes USC, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Oregon State, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Washington State.
Results will be available at Golfstat.com.
Featured on this year's USC squad is three-time All-American senior Lizette Salas, part of USC's 2008 title team, as well as junior transfer Lisa McCloskey, an All-American at Pepperdine the last two years. McCloskey reached the final of the 108th Women's North & South Amateur Championship earlier this summer. Both players are among Golf World's "Top 10 Women's Golf Collegiate Players to Watch" in 2010-11.
McCloskey is off to a fast start as a Trojan. She tied for fourth at the 2010 Fall Preview at 5-under 211 (74-70-67), tied for fourth again at the Mason Rudolph Championship at 7-under 209 (70-72-67) and finished fourth at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational at 5-under 211 72-75-64). Her final round, which included nine birdies and one bogey, tied Irene Cho's school record set at the 2006 Guadalajara Invitational. It broke USC's best round by a Trojan on American soil, which belonged to Salas, who had a 65 at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships at the Stanford G.C.
Speaking of Salas, she was third at the 2010 Fall Preview with a 6-under 210 (70-70-70), tied for 21st at the Mason Rudolph Championship at 2-under 214 (76-68-70) and finished second at the Edean Ihlanfeldt at 7-under 209 (71-71-67), Troy's beset result of the season.
Also back are junior Inah Park and sophomore Cyna Rodriguez, both of whom played big roles during USC's 2010 NCAA Championships title chase. Rodriguez has a trio of top 30 finishes in the opening events, tying for 30th at 4-over 220 (72-70-78) at the Fall Preview, tying for 26th at the Mason Rudolph Championship at par 216 (72-72-72) and tying for 16th at the Edean Ihlanfeldt at 5-over 221 (76-73-72). Park made her season debut at the Mason Rudolph, tying for 23rd at 1-under 215 (71-75-69) and followed it with a tie for 11th at the Edean Ihlanfeldt at 3-over 219 (74-71-74).
Joining McCloskey as newcomers to the squad are talented freshmen Rachel Morris and Sophia Popov. Morris won the Pacific Northwest Amateur in Clarkston, Wash., this summer while Popov, from Germany, won the 2010 International European Ladies Amateur Championship. Both debuted as Trojans at the Fall Preview. Morris played very well, taking 18th at par 216 (73-72-71) while Popov tied for 67th at 12-over 228 (75-76-77). Morris was 78th at the Mason Rudolph while Popov came back at the Edean Ihlanfeldt to card a fifth with a 2-under 214 (68-74-72).
Including the 2003 and 2008 NCAA titles, USC has finished in the NCAA Championships' top 4 in six of the past eight years. In fact, the Trojans, who finished second in 2010 (by one stroke) and third in 2009, have reached the NCAA Championships 13 times in a row under Gaston and have been in the top 7 10 times.
Season Recaps
NCAA Fall Preview
Lizette Salas finished third and Lisa McCloskey tied for fourth, leading the pre-season No. 1 USC women's golf team to third place in an NCAA Championships-caliber field at the 2010 Texas A&M Fall Preview at the Traditions G.C. in College Station, Texas. USC finished in third at 8-under 856 (289-282-285), seven back of first-place Alabama (849) and six behind second-place LSU (850). Duke was fourth (860) while Georgia was fifth (864) in the 18-team field. Salas fired her third consecutive 2-under 70 to finish at 6-under 210, four back of individual winner Megan McChrystal (206). McCloskey finished at 5-under 211 (74-70-67).
Mason Rudolph Championship
Lisa McCloskey notched her then-best round as a Trojan while Lizette Salas was under par for the second straight day as No. 1 USC combined for the low round of the day and finished tied for third at the 2010 Mason Rudolph Championship at the Legends G.C. in Nashville, Tenn. USC tied with UCLA at 13-under 851 (286-287-278), eight strokes behind LSU (843), which led the entire event. Purdue, defending NCAA champion, was second (845). McCloskey began the day tied for 20th but her 5-under 67, which included six birdies against only a bogey on 16, enabled her to climb north to tie for fourth at 7-under 209 (70-72-67). Salas, meanwhile, tied for 21st at 2-under 214 (76-68-70) after a four-birdie, two-bogey outing,
Edean Ihlanfeldt
Lisa McCloskey tied USC's record for low round with an 8-under 64 while Lizette Salas carded a 5-under 67 as the No. 2 Women if Troy put together a furious rally to come within two strokes of first place on the final day of the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational on at the Tacoma (Wash.) Country and Golf Club. Troy also shattered its school-record for low combined round with a 13-under 275, three better than the previous mark of 278, which was done three times, most recently on Sept. 26 at the Mason Rudolph Championship. The Trojans entered the final day of play seven strokes back of conference rival Cal and made up most of the difference. But on a day when only three teams were under par, the Bears' 8-under was just good enough to stave off USC's record-setting performance.
Players Mentioned
