2017-18 Women's Golf Roster
Roster
Coaching Staff
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Gabriela Ruffels
- Height:
- 5-8
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Sandringham, Victoria, Australia
Bio
THIS SEASON: Senior Gabriela Ruffels, the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur and North & South Amateur champion and a 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up, is one of top amateurs in the world and the All-American is set to be a fourth-year starter for the Trojans. She enters the fall semester ranked No. 12 in the WAGR.
2020: Ruffels closed her 2020 junior season on a hot streak, winning the Rebel Beach Intercollegiate at 9-under 207 (68-68-71) for her second career collegiate title. That followed a tie for 12th at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at par 213 (75-71-67). She wrapped spring play with four straight rounds under par and five in a row of par or better ... She had three top 20 finishes in the shortened season, posting a 72.47 stroke average with three rounds in the 60s … In October, she played in the Japan Women’s Open, but missed the cut … In July, she became the first woman to enter the Jacksonville Amateur Championship and finished 51st … In August, as the defending champion, Ruffels turned in another amazing performance at the 2020 U.S. Amateur before ultimately falling on the 38th hole of the final to Rose Zhang. Ruffels tied for fifth in stroke play a 1-under 143 (72-71). She beat Michigan State's Valery Plata, 2&1, in the semifinals after a 1up win over world No. 5 Emilia Migliaccio from Wake Forest in the quarterfinals.
2019: Ruffels was one of the top golfers in the country as a 2019 sophomore, earning WGCA All-American second-team and All-Pac-12 first team honors … She finished fourth on the team with a 72.73 stroke average with five top 10s and eight top 16 results on the season … Ruffels posted her first collegiate victory at the Windy City Collegiate at 10-under 206 (69-66-71), her second round a collegiate best. She came close to her second first and a share of the 2019 Pac-12 crown, finishing third at the conference tournament at 3-under 210 (70-72-68), one stroke back of a playoff. Her next best finish was a tie for seventh at the Silverado Showdown at 3-over 219 (72-72-75). She also came through with the decisive point at the East Lake Cup, coming from behind to defeat Stanford All-American Andrea Lee, 2&1 … In addition to her third at the Pac-12s, her postseason saw a tie for 15th at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional Championship at 1-over 217 (69-76-72) and a tie for 19th in the NCAA Championships stroke play at 6-over 225 (81-70-74). She fell 1up to Arizona’s Haley Moore in the NCAA quarterfinals after defeating Moore earlier in the season at the East Lake Cup, 3&2 … Ruffels got off to a tremendous start to her offseason. After qualifying for and playing in the U.S. Women’s Open (she missed the cut), she helped the International squad win the Arnold Palmer Cup by going 2-1-1, including a singles win on the final day. In July, she went on a huge run to win the 2019 North & South Championship with five straight match play victories a year after reaching the finals of the event ... She then won six straight matches to claim the 119th U.S. Women's Amateur title at Old Waverly G.C. in West Point, Miss. She used three birdies over the final four holes to defeat Stanford's Albane Valenzuela, 1up, in the final to join USC's previous title holders in Jennifer Song (2009), Becky Lucidi (2002) and Jill McGill (1993). Ruffels defeated Stanford All-American Andrea Lee in the semifinals.
2018: Ruffels played in all eight of USC’s spring matches after starting as a 2018 freshman, helping the Trojans to three tournament wins and a run to the NCAA semifinals … She finished the season with a stroke average of 75.09 with a pair of top 10 finishes and three in the top 20. She tied for seventh at the Bruin Invitational at 10-over 226 (76-75-75) and followed it with another tie for seventh in the single round of the SDSU March Mayhem at par 72. Ruffels won twice at the March Mayhem, defeating Northwestern’s Brooke Riley, 6&5, in the semifinals and taking out Texas’ Agathe Laisne, 1up, in the final … She tied for 20th at the Pac-12 Championships at 5-over 221 (76-71-74) and tied for 38th at the NCAA Championships at 8-over 296 (74-76-75-71). She then won her NCAA quarterfinal match, defeating Duke’s Jaravee Boonchant, 1up, and was all square with Alabama’s Angelica Moresco through 16 holes when the Crimson Tide clinched the match … Ruffels summer was topped by a brilliant run at the 2018 North & South Amateur where she reached the final before falling, 2&1, to Stephanie Lau. Her four match wins included a dramatic semifinal run that saw her win on the 22nd hole. She tied for fifth overall 36 holes of stroke play. She also played in the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur, tying for 38th.
HIGH SCHOOL: Ruffels is the daughter of former Trojan women's tennis great and national champion Anna-Maria Fernandez while her father, Ray Ruffels, was also a highly successful professional tennis player. Gabriela Ruffels was also a top-ranked tennis junior in Australia with a national tournament win to her credit and other international success, but she has blossomed in golf. She represented Australia at the 2017 World Junior Girls Championships, was third at the 2017 FGC Junior International and qualified for the Australian Amateur Match Play. In 2016, she represented Australia in international events in Singapore and Thailand, competed in the Women's Western Amateur and was named to the Victorian Women's and Junior State teams. She also qualified for the Junior World Championships and competed at the Australian Amateur.
PERSONAL: She is a business administration major.
CAREER NOTES (As of June, 2020)
Lowest 54-Hole Score: 10-under 206=69-66-71 (2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship)
Lowest Round: 66 (2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship)
Highest Finish: 1st (2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship, 2020 Rebel Beach Intercollegiate)
Rounds in the 60s: 8
Top 10s: 8
2020: Ruffels closed her 2020 junior season on a hot streak, winning the Rebel Beach Intercollegiate at 9-under 207 (68-68-71) for her second career collegiate title. That followed a tie for 12th at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at par 213 (75-71-67). She wrapped spring play with four straight rounds under par and five in a row of par or better ... She had three top 20 finishes in the shortened season, posting a 72.47 stroke average with three rounds in the 60s … In October, she played in the Japan Women’s Open, but missed the cut … In July, she became the first woman to enter the Jacksonville Amateur Championship and finished 51st … In August, as the defending champion, Ruffels turned in another amazing performance at the 2020 U.S. Amateur before ultimately falling on the 38th hole of the final to Rose Zhang. Ruffels tied for fifth in stroke play a 1-under 143 (72-71). She beat Michigan State's Valery Plata, 2&1, in the semifinals after a 1up win over world No. 5 Emilia Migliaccio from Wake Forest in the quarterfinals.
2019: Ruffels was one of the top golfers in the country as a 2019 sophomore, earning WGCA All-American second-team and All-Pac-12 first team honors … She finished fourth on the team with a 72.73 stroke average with five top 10s and eight top 16 results on the season … Ruffels posted her first collegiate victory at the Windy City Collegiate at 10-under 206 (69-66-71), her second round a collegiate best. She came close to her second first and a share of the 2019 Pac-12 crown, finishing third at the conference tournament at 3-under 210 (70-72-68), one stroke back of a playoff. Her next best finish was a tie for seventh at the Silverado Showdown at 3-over 219 (72-72-75). She also came through with the decisive point at the East Lake Cup, coming from behind to defeat Stanford All-American Andrea Lee, 2&1 … In addition to her third at the Pac-12s, her postseason saw a tie for 15th at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional Championship at 1-over 217 (69-76-72) and a tie for 19th in the NCAA Championships stroke play at 6-over 225 (81-70-74). She fell 1up to Arizona’s Haley Moore in the NCAA quarterfinals after defeating Moore earlier in the season at the East Lake Cup, 3&2 … Ruffels got off to a tremendous start to her offseason. After qualifying for and playing in the U.S. Women’s Open (she missed the cut), she helped the International squad win the Arnold Palmer Cup by going 2-1-1, including a singles win on the final day. In July, she went on a huge run to win the 2019 North & South Championship with five straight match play victories a year after reaching the finals of the event ... She then won six straight matches to claim the 119th U.S. Women's Amateur title at Old Waverly G.C. in West Point, Miss. She used three birdies over the final four holes to defeat Stanford's Albane Valenzuela, 1up, in the final to join USC's previous title holders in Jennifer Song (2009), Becky Lucidi (2002) and Jill McGill (1993). Ruffels defeated Stanford All-American Andrea Lee in the semifinals.
2018: Ruffels played in all eight of USC’s spring matches after starting as a 2018 freshman, helping the Trojans to three tournament wins and a run to the NCAA semifinals … She finished the season with a stroke average of 75.09 with a pair of top 10 finishes and three in the top 20. She tied for seventh at the Bruin Invitational at 10-over 226 (76-75-75) and followed it with another tie for seventh in the single round of the SDSU March Mayhem at par 72. Ruffels won twice at the March Mayhem, defeating Northwestern’s Brooke Riley, 6&5, in the semifinals and taking out Texas’ Agathe Laisne, 1up, in the final … She tied for 20th at the Pac-12 Championships at 5-over 221 (76-71-74) and tied for 38th at the NCAA Championships at 8-over 296 (74-76-75-71). She then won her NCAA quarterfinal match, defeating Duke’s Jaravee Boonchant, 1up, and was all square with Alabama’s Angelica Moresco through 16 holes when the Crimson Tide clinched the match … Ruffels summer was topped by a brilliant run at the 2018 North & South Amateur where she reached the final before falling, 2&1, to Stephanie Lau. Her four match wins included a dramatic semifinal run that saw her win on the 22nd hole. She tied for fifth overall 36 holes of stroke play. She also played in the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur, tying for 38th.
HIGH SCHOOL: Ruffels is the daughter of former Trojan women's tennis great and national champion Anna-Maria Fernandez while her father, Ray Ruffels, was also a highly successful professional tennis player. Gabriela Ruffels was also a top-ranked tennis junior in Australia with a national tournament win to her credit and other international success, but she has blossomed in golf. She represented Australia at the 2017 World Junior Girls Championships, was third at the 2017 FGC Junior International and qualified for the Australian Amateur Match Play. In 2016, she represented Australia in international events in Singapore and Thailand, competed in the Women's Western Amateur and was named to the Victorian Women's and Junior State teams. She also qualified for the Junior World Championships and competed at the Australian Amateur.
PERSONAL: She is a business administration major.
CAREER NOTES (As of June, 2020)
Lowest 54-Hole Score: 10-under 206=69-66-71 (2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship)
Lowest Round: 66 (2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship)
Highest Finish: 1st (2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship, 2020 Rebel Beach Intercollegiate)
Rounds in the 60s: 8
Top 10s: 8
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