Friday, May 18
Stillwater, OK
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NCAA Championships
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Jennifer Chang joined Allisen Corpuz with NCAA opening rounds of 72.
Photo by: Alika Jenner Photography
No. 5 USC Takes NCAA Championships First Round Lead
May 18, 2018 | Women's Golf, Features
Corpuz, Chang both pocket opening 72s to lead Trojans.
Sophomore Allisen Corpuz and freshman Jennifer Chang each pocketed even rounds of 72 while freshman Amelia Garvey carved out a 73 to lead the No. 5 USC women's golf to the NCAA Championships first-round lead at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla., on Friday (May 18).
The Trojans, seeking their fourth NCAA crown and 13th straight top 5 finish, combined for a 3-over 291, one better than Alabama, two ahead of UCLA and four better than Kent State, the leader after the first wave of teams.
USC will need a top 15 finish after 54 holes to move onto the final round and a top 8 finish after 72 holes to move onto the eight-team match-play format. The Trojans are one of only two teams to reach match play each of the three years since the championship format was updated.
"It's a really difficult course and really demanding and you have to be patient," USC Coach Andrea Gaston said. "The biggest part is to battle the wind and keep the ball in play. If you're off the fairway, the rough is deep and beyond that, it's really tough. For the most part we kept the ball in play and the girls did a good job managing their games all the way around."
Corpuz and Chang are tied for 11th after 18 holes, four off the round one lead. Chang was 3-over through 10 but closed the final five holes at 3-under, including a birdie on 18 that was an inch away from an eagle. Corpuz's round went the other way, a fast start giving way to a 3-over back 9, but USC's lone sophomore continued her strong overall play.
Garvey, tied for 27th at 1-over, was 3-under at the turn before a rough patch on the back 9, but she birdied 18, the first of four Trojans to do so on the par 5.
Freshman Alyaa Abdulghany followed Garvey into the clubhouse at 4-over 76, tied for 51st, while freshman Gabi Ruffels, is tied for 27th after a 2-over 74 that saw her play the final 14 holes at even.
"The team is business as usual," said Gaston of a squad all making their NCAA debut. "They're playing a mature game of golf. Three of them have been here before and know how demanding it is. We've talked about the strategy, but in the end, they're the ones swinging the club and I'm proud, as they're playing like veterans.
"We'll try to continue to stay in the moment, be ready, and hope to put up a good number tomorrow."
USC tees off Saturday at 5:30 a.m. PT with Stanford and Duke.
The Trojans, seeking their fourth NCAA crown and 13th straight top 5 finish, combined for a 3-over 291, one better than Alabama, two ahead of UCLA and four better than Kent State, the leader after the first wave of teams.
USC will need a top 15 finish after 54 holes to move onto the final round and a top 8 finish after 72 holes to move onto the eight-team match-play format. The Trojans are one of only two teams to reach match play each of the three years since the championship format was updated.
"It's a really difficult course and really demanding and you have to be patient," USC Coach Andrea Gaston said. "The biggest part is to battle the wind and keep the ball in play. If you're off the fairway, the rough is deep and beyond that, it's really tough. For the most part we kept the ball in play and the girls did a good job managing their games all the way around."
Corpuz and Chang are tied for 11th after 18 holes, four off the round one lead. Chang was 3-over through 10 but closed the final five holes at 3-under, including a birdie on 18 that was an inch away from an eagle. Corpuz's round went the other way, a fast start giving way to a 3-over back 9, but USC's lone sophomore continued her strong overall play.
Garvey, tied for 27th at 1-over, was 3-under at the turn before a rough patch on the back 9, but she birdied 18, the first of four Trojans to do so on the par 5.
Freshman Alyaa Abdulghany followed Garvey into the clubhouse at 4-over 76, tied for 51st, while freshman Gabi Ruffels, is tied for 27th after a 2-over 74 that saw her play the final 14 holes at even.
"The team is business as usual," said Gaston of a squad all making their NCAA debut. "They're playing a mature game of golf. Three of them have been here before and know how demanding it is. We've talked about the strategy, but in the end, they're the ones swinging the club and I'm proud, as they're playing like veterans.
"We'll try to continue to stay in the moment, be ready, and hope to put up a good number tomorrow."
USC tees off Saturday at 5:30 a.m. PT with Stanford and Duke.
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