USC
Icon Invitational
Players Mentioned
No. 11 USC Women's Golf Looks To Defend Icon Invitational Title
February 24, 2023 | Women's Golf
The No. 11 USC women's golf team, with one win during the fall season, continues the sprint season as it looks to defend its 2022 title at the 2023 Icon Invitational in Houston, Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 27-28), at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas.
The 16-team field is hosted by Houston and also includes Texas A&M, USC, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, SMU, Texas Tech, Tulsa, Tennessee, North Carolina State, Maryland, North Texas, Charlotte, Illinois, Texas State and Texas-San Antonio.
Results will be available at golfstat.com. Teams will play 36 holes beginning with an 8 a.m. CT, shotgun start Monday with the final round teeing off at 8 a.m., Tuesday, on the 6,392-yard, par-72 course.
The individual champion of the ICON Invitational will receive a playing spot in The Chevron Championship Official Pro-Am on April 18. The Chevron Championship, the first LPGA Tour Major of the season, will take place at The Club at Carlton Woods for the first time on April 20-23.
USC made its debut at the event in 2022 and turned in one of its best regular-season performances in program history, combining for a school-record 39-under par — led by then-freshman Amari Avery's winning 15-under and then-freshman Xin (Cindy) Kou's third-place 13-under — to capture the Icon Invitational going away.
The Trojans nailed down their first tournament victory of last season at 39-under 825 (270-281-274) for a 15-stroke victory, following their school-record 18-under opening round with a final-round 14-under, tied for the fourth-best round in program history.
It marked Avery's first college win in her second college event. Her 15-under tied the USC record for most under par in a 54-hole event, previously owned alone by Trojan 2006 NCAA champion Dewi Claire Schreefel, who set the mark in 2007. Avery also became the first Trojan to post a pair of 65s in one tournament.
The Trojans are led by fifth-year head coach Justin Silverstein and first-year assistant coach Tiffany Joh, the All-American first-teamer and LPGA star from UCLA now in her second year of collegiate coaching.
EARLY SPRING RESULTS
USC opened spring play with the debut of the Battle for the Bell, a two-round match-play event between the Trojans and their crosstown rivals, UCLA. The Bruins got the better of the event, winning 8.5-3.5. Freshman Catherine Park posted a 2up win in the first day of action at Sherwood C.C. while sophomore Amari Avery halved her match. In the second day at Rolling Hills C.C., Avery won her match, 5&4, while senior Malia Nam won hers, 4&3.
Troy followed it with a solid tie for third at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge, led by Xin (Cindy) Kou's season-best tie for fifth at par 213 (72-68-73) while Avery tied for 12th at 2-over 215 (73-73-69).
FALL HIGHLIGHTS
After a tough season-opener, USC came roaring back in its second event of the fall season, winning the Windy City Collegiate Classic on Oct. 4 by nine strokes while sophomore Amari Avery won her fourth career individual title by a stroke. It marked both USC's third team and individual wins at the event. Avery won at 6-under 210 (67-69-74). Fellow sophomore Xin (Cindy) Kou tied for seventh at 3-over 219 (72-75-72).
THE TROJANS IN THE RANKINGS
Amari Avery is the No. 15-ranked golfer in the NCAA per golfweek.com while Xin (Cindy) Kou is No. 46, Brianna Navarrosa is No. 98 and Catherine Park is No. 147.
TROJAN NOTES
- Amari Avery's win at the Windy City gives her four for her career, tied for fifth on USC's career chart. She has five top 14 finishes and six top 23 finishes to start her sophomore year.
- Avery has a team-best six rounds in the 60s this season, giving her 16 career rounds in the 60s, tied for fourth on USC's career chart.
- Avery leads USC with a stroke average of 71.44 and also boasts team bests in rounds of par or better (10) and rounds under par (eight).
- Xin (Cindy) Kou's tie for fifth at the Regional Challenge and her tie for seventh at the Windy City Collegiate marks seven career top 10s in her young career and gives her three top 17s this season. She has been inside the top 25 in all five events.
- Kou is second on the Trojans with a stroke average of 72.20, which includes nine rounds of par or better, including three under par. Her 68 at Palos Verdes is her ninth career round in the 60s.
- Brianna Navarrosa's tie for third at 5-under 211 (69-70-72) at the Stephens Cup was her second top 3 finish in a five-start stretch.
- Navarrosa had four top 19 finishes this fall and nine top 22s in her last 12 events.
- Junior Christine Wang has a pair of ties for 24th, first at the Windy City and again at the Regional Challenge. Her 1-under 70 at Palos Verdes was a career best and bettered her season-best 71 at the Stephens Cup.
- Freshman Catherine Park has four top 25 results this fall, including a pair of season-best ties for 12th at the Windy City and at the Regional Challenge. Her play in Chicago featured a season-best final-round 70 while she closed with a 71 in Palos Verdes. She also tied for 17th at the Nanea Pac-12 Preview at 2-over.
TROJAN OVERVIEW
USC returns seven golfers from last year's team that posted a trio of wins, captured the 2022 NCAA Stanford Regional and finished 10th at the NCAA Championships, just outside of match play.
Avery returns following her All-American first-team debut as a 2021-22 freshman — which saw her win three times — while Nam, also an All-American as a freshman, is back after missing last season due to injury. Kou was Pac-12 honorable mention last year and started all 13 events, as did the ever-improving Navarrosa, while Park will make her debut in Cardinal and Gold.
USC saw just one departure from last season as fifth-year senior and All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick Katherine Muzi transferred for her final season to South Carolina.
TROJAN FLASH CARDS ENTERING 2022-23
- Avery was a finalist for the 2022 ANNIKA Award as well as the WGCA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honor and managed all of that despite joining the Trojans as a spring semester freshman. Collegiately, Avery posted three wins (including at NCAA Regionals), a tie for second, a tie for fifth, a tie for sixth and a tie for eighth among her first eight stroke-play starts.
- Avery, who tied for fourth at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, finished with seven top 10 finishes (all in the top 8) in nine stroke play events, tied for sixth on USC's all-time season list.
- Avery represented the U.S. at the 2022 Curtis Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup.
- Junior Brianna Navarrosa was a 2022 U.S. Amateur quarterfinalist. She finished second on the Trojans in stroke average (73.63) after starting all 13 events. She had six top 16 finishes and nine in the top 24 to go with 11 top 20s for her career. She led USC at the NCAA Championships, tying for 21st.
- Sophomore Xin (Cindy) Kou is USC's other returner who started all 13 events last year. She was just the third Trojan freshman in over 20 years to record four straight top 15s to start the season.
- Kou finished with four top 5 finishes, five top 10s and six top 15 results. Her 13-under at the Icon Invitational last year is tied for the third-best total in school history.
- Junior Michael Morard came on strong last spring and finished with three top 11s, highlighted by a tie for eighth at The Gold Rush and a tie for 11th at the Icon Invitational. She had 11 rounds of par or better.
- Injured last season, graduate senior Malia Nam looks to return to the form this year that made her the 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a 2019 All-American.
