USC
2011 NCAA Regional
No. 1 USC Wins West Region, Advances To NCAA Final
May 07, 2011 | Women's Golf
May 7, 2011
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Senior Lizette Salas and freshmen Sophia Popov and Rachel Morris finished second, third and tied for seventh, respectively, as the No. 1 USC women's golf team ran away with the 2011 NCAA West Regional title on Saturday (May 7) at the Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.
The Trojans won their second straight regional crown, their fifth in the last six years and their seventh overall, which ties Duke for most in the country.
In a 24-team field, USC completed the wire-to-wire win at 2-over 866 (288-284-294), registering the day's best round for the third day in a row in poor weather conditions. Tennessee finished second (876) while Virginia and UC Davis tied for third (887). The top eight teams from the West, Central and East Regionals all advance to the NCAA Championships, May 18-21, at Texas A&M.
USC is advancing to the NCAA final for the 14th year in a row in its 20th consecutive NCAA appearance (the last 14 under 15th-year Head Coach Andrea Gaston). It is after its third NCAA title with wins in 2003 and 2008.
Playing without injured junior Lisa McCloskey, who is ranked in the top five nationally, the Trojans did not skip a beat all tournament. Much of the credit goes to junior Inah Park, who subbed for McCloskey and played some of her best golf of the season.
Salas finished second at 3-under 213 (73-67-73), notching her fourth top 3 finish and seventh in the top 7. She was even through 11 holes before double bogeys on 12 and 14. She responded, however, with birdies on her next three holes to salvage the round.
Popov extended her amazing streak of top seven finishes to eight at 1-under 215 (69-73-73). She played a steady final round that included two bogeys and a birdie.
Morris' tie for seventh was a season-best as she finished 2-over 218 (73-71-74) for her fourth top 20 mark. She was 1-under going out and 3-over going in with two birdies on the day.
Park tied for 17th at 5-over 221 (73-74-76), her second-beset finish this year. She was 1-under on the front 9 and 5-over on the back.
Sophomore Cyna Rodriguez finished tied for 25th at 10-over 226 (79-73-74), rebounding well after a tough first round. She was 2-under through 12 before giving back a few strokes at the end. She secured her ninth top 31 finish this season.
Players Mentioned
