University Southern California Trojans
No. 2 USC New Orleans Bound
February 24, 2011 | Women's Golf
Feb. 24, 2011
The USC women's golf team, ranked No. 2 in Golfweek.com's top 25 with one win and five top 3 finishes in as many events this season, continues its spring schedule at the 2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Golf Championship at the English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans, La., Sunday through Tuesday (Feb. 27-March 1).
The Women of Troy, under 15th-year head coach Andrea Gaston, have their long-term sights set on challenging for the program's third NCAA title despite losing a pair of All-Americans from last year's NCAA second-place team, Belen Mozo and Jennifer Song.
The Intercollegiate Golf Championship field includes host Tulane as well as USC, Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Denver, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
Live results will be available at Golfstat.com. Action begins Sunday and Monday at 7:51 a.m. (EST) and at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
Featured on this year's USC squad is three-time All-American senior Lizette Salas, part of USC's 2008 title team, as well as junior transfer Lisa McCloskey, an All-American at Pepperdine the last two years. Both players are among Golf World's "Top 10 Women's Golf Collegiate Players to Watch" in 2010-11.
USC is coming off of its first win of the season, a two-stroke victory at the 2011 Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge that marked its second straight title at the event.
Lisa McCloskey
Lisa McCloskey, ranked No. 6 in the country by Golfweek.com, has got off to a fast start as a Trojan with four top 10 finishes in the fall and a tie for 11th at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge to kick off the spring season. She tied for fourth at the 2010 Fall Preview at 5-under 211 (74-70-67), tied for fourth again at the Mason Rudolph Championship at 7-under 209 (70-72-67), finished fourth at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational at 5-under 211 (72-75-64) and tied for 10th at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge at 3-over 216 (69-73-74). Her final round 64 at the Edean Ihlanfeldt, which included nine birdies and one bogey, tied Irene Cho's school record set at the 2006 Guadalajara Invitational. It broke USC's best round by a Trojan on American soil, which belonged to Salas, who had a 65 at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships at the Stanford G.C. ... McCloskey has a team-best four rounds in the 60s.
Lizette Salas
Lizette Salas, who is working to become USC's first-ever four-time All-America, is off to another great start with three top 7 finishes in four starts as a senior. Salas, ranked No. 7 in the country by Golfweek.com, opened the season with a third at the 2010 Fall Preview with a 6-under 210 (70-70-70) and finished second at the Edean Ihlanfeldt at 7-under 209 (71-71-67) ... Salas opened the spring season with a tie for seventh at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at 8-over 221 (71-77-73) ... She has 12 career rounds in the 60s (including two this year), which is tied for third all-time at USC. Jennifer Song holds the record (15) while Belen Mozo is second (13).
Inah Park
Junior Inah Park, ranked No. 99, has three top 27 finishes this season, highlighted by a tie for 11th at the Edean Ihlanfeldt at 3-over 219 (74-71-74). She tied for 23rd at 1-under 215 (71-75-69) at the Mason Rudolph Championship and opened the spring season with a tie for 27th at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.
Cyna Rodriguez
Sophomore Cyna Rodriguez, a 2010 Pac-10 honorable mention selection ranked No. 62 in the country, has a pair of top 16 finishes and has five top 30 efforts in as many outings. She tied for 16th at both the Edean Ihlanfeldt at 5-over 221 (76-73-72) and at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at 11-over 224 (74-74-76). She tied for 30th at 4-over 220 (72-70-78) at the Fall Preview, tied for 26th at the Mason Rudolph Championship at par 216 (72-72-72) and tied for 24th at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge at 9-over 222 (76-73-73).
Sophia Popov
Freshman Sophia Popov, a German native who won the 2010 International European Ladies Amateur Championship, registered her first collegiate win at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge, winning at 6-under 207 (72-68-67). That followed a fifth-place finish at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational at 2-under 214 (68-74-72) and preceded a tie for seventh at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at 8-over 221 (74-74-73). She is ranked No. 17 by Golfweek.com.
Rachel Morris
Freshman Rachel Morris, another top amateur who joined the Trojans this year, has a pair of top 20 finishes. She was 18th at the Mason Rudolph Championship at par 216 (73-72-71) and tied for 16th at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at 11-over 224 (78-71-75). She was 78th at the Mason Rudolph Championships and tied for 89th at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge.
Season Recaps
NCAA Fall Preview
Lizette Salas finished third and Lisa McCloskey tied for fourth, leading the pre-season No. 1 USC women's golf team to third place in an NCAA Championships-caliber field at the 2010 Texas A&M Fall Preview at the Traditions G.C. in College Station, Texas. USC finished in third at 8-under 856 (289-282-285), seven back of first-place Alabama (849) and six behind second-place LSU (850). Duke was fourth (860) while Georgia was fifth (864) in the 18-team field. Salas fired her third consecutive 2-under 70 to finish at 6-under 210, four back of individual winner Megan McChrystal (206). McCloskey finished at 5-under 211 (74-70-67).
Mason Rudolph Championship
Lisa McCloskey notched her then-best round as a Trojan while Lizette Salas was under par for the second straight day as No. 1 USC combined for the low round of the day and finished tied for third at the 2010 Mason Rudolph Championship at the Legends G.C. in Nashville, Tenn. USC tied with UCLA at 13-under 851 (286-287-278), eight strokes behind LSU (843), which led the entire event. Purdue, defending NCAA champion, was second (845). McCloskey began the day tied for 20th but her 5-under 67, which included six birdies against only a bogey on 16, enabled her to climb north to tie for fourth at 7-under 209 (70-72-67). Salas, meanwhile, tied for 21st at 2-under 214 (76-68-70) after a four-birdie, two-bogey outing,
Edean Ihlanfeldt
Lisa McCloskey tied USC's record for low round with an 8-under 64 while Lizette Salas carded a 5-under 67 as the No. 2 Women if Troy put together a furious rally to come within two strokes of first place on the final day of the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational on at the Tacoma (Wash.) Country and Golf Club. Troy also shattered its school-record for low combined round with a 13-under 275, three better than the previous mark of 278, which was done three times, most recently on Sept. 26 at the Mason Rudolph Championship. The Trojans entered the final day of play seven strokes back of conference rival Cal and made up most of the difference. But on a day when only three teams were under par, the Bears' 8-under was just good enough to stave off USC's record-setting performance.
Pac-10/SEC Challenge
Freshman Sophia Popov won her first career collegiate title and helped USC to third place at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge at the Stanford G.C. on Sunday (Nov. 7). USC, playing without senior Lizette Salas, still finished a solid 23-over 875 (294-291-290) for its fourth top 3 finish in as many outings. Popov, who started the day tied for fifth, won at 6-under 207 (72-68-67), one better than UCLA's Stephanie Kono (5-under). It was her second straight top 5 finish. She had five birdies against just one bogey during the round.
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Battling rainy weather and a sluggish start, the No. 2 USC women's golf team, led by senior Lizette Salas and freshman Sophia Popov, rallied midway through the final round -- from third to first -- to claim its second consecutive title at the 2011 Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. Troy finished at 32-over 884 (290-295-299), two strokes ahead of the Sun Devils (886) and three ahead of UCLA (887). Salas (71-77-73) and Popov (74-74-73) tied for seventh at 8-over 221.
