University Southern California Trojans
Trojans Open Spring Slate In Hawaii
January 30, 2012 | Men's Golf
Jan. 30, 2012
The No. 11 USC men's golf team, the 2011 Pac-10 champion, begins the 2012 spring season hoping to rekindle the momentum it got from winning its final fall event as it takes part in the 22nd annual Amer Ari at Waikoloa (Hi.) Beach Resort, Wednesday through Friday (Feb. 1-3).
The 20-team field includes Arizona State, Cal State Chico, Colorado, Georgia Tech, host Hawaii-Hilo, Hawaii-Manoa, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, San Francisco, San Jose State, Stanford, Texas, Texas Christian, Texas Tech, UC Dacis, UCLA, USC, Washington and Osaka Gakuin University from Suita, Japan.
Play will begin each day with shotgun starts at 7:30 a.m. HST. Results will be available atGolfstat.com.
The Trojans were led in the fall by senior Steve Lim, whose 71.22 stroke average topped the team. Lim led USC to a four-stroke win at the Gifford Collegiate Championship to close the fall slate, notching his first-career collegiate victory with an 11-under 202 (66-67-69). Freshman Anthony Paolucci got off to a solid start to his career with a pair of top 17 finishes and was second on the team with a 71.89 stroke average. Sophomore Jeffrey Kang was third on the squad at 72.56 and was sixth in USC's win at the Gifford Collegiate. USC only played in three fall events after severe weather forced the Trojans to withdraw (along with the majority of the field) from its season-opener, the 2011 Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational. The Trojans have since added the Barona Collegiate Cup, March 22-23.
Lim, a two-time All-Pac-10 second teamer, leads the Trojans upperclassmen along with junior Martin Trainer, the 2011 Pac-10 Championships individual champion and an All-Pac-10 first teamer in 2011. Juniors Sam Smith, also All-Pac-10 second team last year, and Stewart Hagestad round out the vets on the team.
Kang, another All-Pac-10 second teamer from last year, joins Ramsey Sahyoun as the two sophomores on the squad while Paolucci, the top-rated recruit in 2011, is the lone freshman.
USC, which will serve as the NCAA Championships host in 2012 at the famed Riviera Country Club in Palisades, Calif., is under sixth-year head coach Chris Zambri. Zambri has directed the Trojans into the NCAA Championships final each of his first five years and has guided USC to a pair of Pac-10 titles.
Troy won twice last season, claiming the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in addition to the conference crown, and also posted a pair of second-place finishes. Trainer's Pac-10 title was its only individual victory.
2011-12 Event Recaps
2011 The Prestige At PGA West, Oct. 9-11
Sophomore Ramsey Sahyoun turned in his second-highest finish as a Trojan to lead the USC men's golf team at The Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. The Trojans, playing in their first event of the year after the season-open was rained out, finished 10th at 3-under 861 (289-285-286), 29 strokes behind first-place Oregon (832) in the 16-team field. Washington took second (834) while Stanford was third (840). Playing individually, freshman Anthony Paolucci was actually USC's top finisher in his debut event in the Cardinal and Gold, tying for 17th at 5-under 211 (74-71-66). His final round, beginning on the 10th hole in the shotgun start, included a 3-under front 9 and a 3-under back 9 with seven birdies overall. Sahyoun tied for 24th at 3-under 213 (73-70-70).
2011 U.S, Collegiate Championship, Oct. 23-25
The USC men's golf team spent the better part of three rounds battling for first at the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Championship before struggling over the final stretch, ultimately finishing seventh at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Ga. The leaders after the first round and tied for third after the second, USC was unable to maintain the momentum and finished seventh at 7-over 871 (282-288-301). UCLA took first at 12-under 852 while Washington and Auburn tied for second at 9-under 855. Senior Steve Lim was USC's highest finisher, tying for 13th at 1-under 215 (66-73-76). He had four bogeys during his final round and 14 pars. Freshman Anthony Paolucci tied for 31st at 4-over 220 (71-71-81).
2011 Gifford Collegiate Championship, Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Senior Steve Lim fired a final-round 69 to not only lead the USC men's golf team to its first title this season but also claim his first collegiate title at the 2011 Gifford Collegiate at the CordeValle G.C. in San Martin, Calif. ... The Trojans built a 12-stroke lead after the second round and put the cushion to good use, holding off UCLA for the win at 8-under 1057 (345-352-360), four shots better than the second-place Bruins' 1061 (348-361-352). Lim, USC's active leader in rounds in the 60s, put together one of USC's top tournaments in recent memory to win at 11-under 202 (66-67-69). Though he bogeyed his final two holes to take some off the gloss off a 4-under start, Lim was still able to hold off UCLA All-American Patrick Cantlay, who finished at 10-under 203 (63-70-70).
