USC junior Karen Chung is a big reasons Trojans are out in front
(USC Athletics Photo)
Editors Note: Story from NCAA.com
EUGENE, OR (May 21, 2016) - Junior Karen Chung
fired a 3-under 69 to lead four Trojans under par as No.
1 USC vaulted to the top of the leaderboard after the
second round of the 2016 NCAA Women’s Golf
Championships on Saturday at the Eugene
Country Club.
The Trojans, seeking their fourth NCAA title, turned
in their fourth-best round ever at nationals with an 8-
under 280 to move to a combined 7-under 569 (289-
280) after 36 holes and taking a five-stroke lead into
Sunday’s third round.
USC needs a top-eight finish after 72 holes of
stroke
play to advance to the eight-team match play
tournament, the second year the NCAA Championships
have been decided in this format. Troy fell in the
semifinals last season.
Washington is second behind the Trojans at 2-
under 574 and followed by UCLA (577) and Stanford
(578) in the top 4. Oklahoma State and Oregon are tied
for fifth (579) with Arizona seventh (580) and
Northwestern eighth (581).
While Chung had the best round for the Trojans
today, senior Kyung Kim is the highest on the
leaderboard at 3-under 141 (71-70), her second round
featuring four straight birdies between 14 and 17 that
followed a triple bogey on 13. She is tied for eighth
overall, four off the lead.
Kim’s round was her best since a 68 at the Stanford
Intercollegiate on Oct. 20, her lone round in the 60s this
season. If Kim breaks 70 in either of her final two
rounds she will break USC’s career record with 23. She
is currently tied with Sophia Popov at 22.
“My game was really solid before I made the triple
on 13 which was caused by a buried lie in the bunker,”
Kim said. “So when I got to 14 tee I had to remind
myself that I was confident with my game so I just
moved forward. As a whole, I think we have a really
good game plan on how to attack this golf course by
being very patient on certain spots and aggressive on
the others."
Chung is tied for 10th at 2-under 142 (73-69) after
her sixth round of the 60s this season, tied for the most
on the team. She opened with a 3-under front 9 and
was 4-under through 12 before her lone bogey of the
day on 13.
Junior Tiffany Chan joined Chung in a tie for 10th at
2-under 142 (71-71) after her second straight 1-under
round. She had four birdies on the day, including three
in the front 9.
Freshman Robynn Ree bounced back from her
opening 78 with a 2-under 70 to move to a tie for 67th
at 4-over. She put together a six-birdie second round,
including a stretch of four birdies over five holes
between 11 and 15.
Junior Gabriella Then is tied for 85th at 6-over 150 (74-
76). She had three birdies today.
The medalist chase is currently being led by Miami
freshman Dewi Weber. After rounds of 69-66 Weber sits
at 9-under and is leading the way by one-stroke. During
her second round, Weber, from the Netherlands carded
six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 7th hole. In fact
Wber was 8-under for her round until she bogeyed the
last two holes and had to settle for a 6-under 66.
Weber began her round on the tenth hole and
birdied four of her final five holes on her opening nine
holes to turn in 4-under 31. If Weber can hold on in the
individual race the victory would mark the first of her
collegiate career. Her previous best finish came in March
at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational when she shared
fourth place.
Tennessee sophomore Anna Newell is 8-under and
in second place while Duke freshman Virginia Elena
Carta is 7-under and in third. Four other players are tied
for fourth with a 36-hole tally of 6-under.
ABOUT THE
NCAA Division I Women's Championship
30 teams and 6 individuals not on a qualifying
team make up the field for the championship of
NCAA
Division I women's golf.
After 72 holes of stroke play, the individual
champion is crowned, and the low 8 teams advance
to
match play to determine the team champion.
View Complete Tournament Information