USC
2011 Pac-10 Championships
No. 1 USC Takes Sole Lead At Pac-10s
April 18, 2011 | Women's Golf
April 18, 2011
Freshman Sophia Popov fired a 1-under 71 while sophomore Cyna Rodriguez finished at par to help No. 1 USC claim sole possession of first place after the second round of the 2011 Pac-10 Women's Golf Championships at the Karsten G.C. in Tempe, Ariz., on Monday (April 18).
USC, seeking its fourth conference crown in program history and its first since 2008, opened the round tied for the lead with Stanford but finished it with a seven-stroke advantage at 3-under 573 (282-291). Arizona caught the Cardinal in a tie for second at 4-over 580 and was followed by UCLA (584), California (588), Oregon (596), Arizona State (600), Washington (606), Oregon State (613) and Washington State (638).
The Trojans, who have not placed lower than third in any event this season, enjoyed a strong final push Monday when they finished the final four holes at a combined 3-under (on their cards that counted) while Stanford was 5-over during the same stretch.
USC head coach Andrea Gaston is interviewed after the Pac-10 Championships second round.
USC freshman Sophia Popov, tied for first, is interviewed after the Pac-10 Championships second round.
In addition to vying for the Pac-10 title, USC is also battling UCLA for Crosstown Gauntlet points. In the season-long battle between Trojans and Bruins in all sports, points for women's golf are awarded to the highest finisher between the rivals at the Pac-10 Championships. Five points are up for grabs for women's golf. The winning school needs 57.5 points to clinch. USC currently leads 55.0-27.5.
Popov, who already boasts two wins this year, moved into a tie for the individual lead with UCLA's Tiffany Lua at 4-under 140 (69-71) while Rodriguez is alone in third at 3-under 141 (69-72).
On her way to her a possible seventh straight top 7 finish, Popov birdied the first two holes en route to a 1-under front 9. She dropped to even for the round after a bogey on 12 but got back to 1-under with a birdie on 15.
Rodriguez, who hasn't finished lower than 31st this year but has yet to crack a top 10, fell to 2-over early with bogeys on 3 and 4. But birdies on the par 5 10th and 17th holes got her back to even for the day.
Senior Lizette Salas is tied for 11th at 1-over 145 (72-73). She bogeyed the 6th and 13th holes before registering her first birdie of the day on 17. She is looking for her sixth top 10 this season.
Junior Lisa McCloskey is tied for 15th at 3-over 147 (72-75). She got off to a slow start with bogeys on her first two holes and another on 9, but she finished the back 9 at even.
Freshman Rachel Morris is tied for 38th at 11-over 155 (76-79). She was on pace to match her first-round effort before a triple bogey on 18.
Action concludes Tuesday, beginning at 7:30 a.m. USC will tee off with Stanford at 8:50. a.m.
Players Mentioned
