USC women’s golf secured first place by seven strokes at the Pac-12 Championship at the Papago Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona. The team had a combined score of 15-under-par 849 (279-289-281), making this win the team’s third championship in the last four seasons and seventh in the last 15 seasons.
After the first round, the Trojans led with just a three-stroke lead over Arizona. Senior Malia Nam shot her lowest round in two years with a 4-under-par 68, while freshman Catherine Park and sophomore Amari Avery also finished under par.
USC finished 1 over par on the second day, leaving the Trojans tied with Arizona heading into the final round. The low Trojan scores of the day were Park’s 70 and sophomore Xin (Cindy) Kou’s 71.
Regardless of their strong performances, the team struggled with its putting.
“We survived some pretty horrific putting, and we putted really poorly across the board,” head coach Justin Silverstein said. “Some people had some good days, but overall we had some really poor putting numbers.”
“The night before the final round I thought, if they keep putting like this, I’m not sure there’s an avenue for us to win.”
Going into the final day, Silverstein made the decision to enter junior Christine Wang to substitute in for junior Brianna Navarrosa in the final round.
“Christine Wang coming in as a sub for Brianna Navarrosa in the final round was an incredibly difficult decision, and one of the tougher ones I’ve ever had to make, but we felt that Christine was playing so well and had earned a spot or at least a round in that tournament,” Silverstein said.
Wang rose to the occasion and shot a 4-under-par 68.
“She took full advantage of it, and we’re so proud of her,” Silverstein said. “It might be one of the biggest rounds I’ve ever seen in my ten-plus years of college coaching, given the circumstances.”
Avery and Nam also finished under par in the final round. Individually, Avery and Park tied for third place at 4 under par, Nam tied for ninth at 2 under par and Kou tied for 20th for the tournament.
“Amari Avery came up huge — she’s our top-ranked player in the world,” Silverstein said. “She knew that she needed to put up a big round in the final round for us to hold off two or three of the best teams in the country, and she did that. She birdied three of her last four holes.”
Silverstein additionally noted that Park has been a stabilizing factor for the team the past few weeks, which is a great sign considering she’s only a freshman.
Avery, Kou and Park were all selected onto the 2023 Pac-12 All-Conference team, and junior Brianna Navarossa was awarded Honorable Mention honors.
Silverstein explained that regardless of specific honors and achievements, all six USC golfers stood out. This was the only event of the year where substitutions were allowed because normally the maximum number of players is five, and all six players had counting scores for the week.
“I think it’s a testament to our depth, and something that we pride our program on is recruiting really well top-to-bottom of the roster, and not just focusing on our top five and continuing to develop players that are not regularly in our starting lineup,” Silverstein said.
Reflecting back on the moment that USC won the tournament, Silverstein explained that seeing the scoreboard after completing the 16th hole, the team knew they had effectively clinched the title. After Park sank her final putt on the 18th hole, the team ran on the green and doused Silverstein with water.
“It was cool to see them jumping up and down screaming, and seeing how far they’d come,” Silverstein said. “Seeing them put on the championship merch never gets old.”
Looking into the future, the Trojans will compete in the NCAA Regional Championships on May 8, and next week they will find out where they are headed.
“We are excited for the challenge to prove some people wrong, but we have to take care of business at Regionals before we can get to [the NCAA Championships] and worry about winning another big trophy,” Silverstein said.
“We have historically been the best regional program in the country and have won considerably more of those than any other team, so we’re looking to carry on that legacy. But it’s gonna start in the preparation, so we’ll find a way to get them re-motivated and get ready for that.”