Tuesday, October 2
Chicago, IL
All Day
USC
vs
Windy City Collegiate Classic
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Associate Head Coach Stewart Burke, Jennifer Chang, Gabriela Ruffels, Allisen Corpuz, Aiko Leong, Malia Nam and Head Coach Justin Silverstein after USC's first win of the season.
Ruffels Wins First Collegiate Title, Leads USC To Windy City Collegiate Team Win
October 02, 2018 | Women's Golf, Features
Trojans secure first victory for Justin Silverstein as Head Coach.
Sophomore Gabriela Ruffels used a 1-under 71 to clinch her first career collegiate title while sophomore Jennifer Chang also fired a 71 to lead No. 4 USC to a five-stroke victory at the Windy City Collegiate at the Westmoreland C.C. in Wilmette, Ill., on Tuesday (Oct. 2), securing Justin Silverstein's first win as USC's head coach.
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The Trojans finished the tournament even, their 864 (286-290-288) five shots better than Arizona State and seven better than second-round leader Arizona. USC also won the event in 2014 when Silverstein was the team's associate head coach.
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Ruffels won the tournament at 10-under 206 (69-66-71), one stroke better than the Sun Devils' Raquel Olmos, who also shot a 71 on Tuesday. Both players mixed three birdies and two bogeys in the final round.
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Tied after 11 holes, Ruffels went ahead by two strokes with a birdie on 12 while Olmos bogeyed the hole. Olmos pulled to within a stroke with a birdie on 15, but both players parred the final three holes, Ruffels clinching the win with a 4-foot putt.
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Her final round came on the heels of her 9-under opening act Monday, her second round 66 a personal best.
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The win is USC's first individual title since Chang tied for first at least season's Silverado Showdown, also the last time the Trojans won as a team. Ruffels' finish is Troy's first outright win since Robynn Ree won the Pac-12 Nanea Preview in the fall of 2016.
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"I'm extremely proud of this group for grinding out a win on this incredibly difficult golf course," Silverstein said. "This course is quite different from what we see at home, so it was a big adjustment for the entire lineup.
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"Gabi played beautifully all week and her stellar play was able to pace us against this loaded field. We look forward to building on this result and getting back home to prepare for our next big event at Stanford."
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Said Ruffels: "I knew from the start of the day that I just had to stay steady because conditions weren't easy. I actually didn't know the score coming down the final 9 but just focused on trying to beat Raquel, who was in my group."
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Chang (73-72-71) and freshman Malia Nam (68-75-73) tied for 11th at even 216. Chang posted five birdies against four bogeys to secure her ninth straight top 15 finish, just missing out on her sixth career top 10. Nam, coming off a second-place debut in the season-opener, was also in line for a top 10 before two late bogeys.
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Junior Allisen Corpuz bounced back from a slow start to tie for 39th at 10-over 226 (76-77-73) while junior Aiko Leong tied for 70th at 26-over 242 (78-80-84).
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USC returns to action at the Stanford Intercollegiate, Oct. 19-21.
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The Trojans finished the tournament even, their 864 (286-290-288) five shots better than Arizona State and seven better than second-round leader Arizona. USC also won the event in 2014 when Silverstein was the team's associate head coach.
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Ruffels won the tournament at 10-under 206 (69-66-71), one stroke better than the Sun Devils' Raquel Olmos, who also shot a 71 on Tuesday. Both players mixed three birdies and two bogeys in the final round.
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Tied after 11 holes, Ruffels went ahead by two strokes with a birdie on 12 while Olmos bogeyed the hole. Olmos pulled to within a stroke with a birdie on 15, but both players parred the final three holes, Ruffels clinching the win with a 4-foot putt.
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Her final round came on the heels of her 9-under opening act Monday, her second round 66 a personal best.
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The win is USC's first individual title since Chang tied for first at least season's Silverado Showdown, also the last time the Trojans won as a team. Ruffels' finish is Troy's first outright win since Robynn Ree won the Pac-12 Nanea Preview in the fall of 2016.
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"I'm extremely proud of this group for grinding out a win on this incredibly difficult golf course," Silverstein said. "This course is quite different from what we see at home, so it was a big adjustment for the entire lineup.
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"Gabi played beautifully all week and her stellar play was able to pace us against this loaded field. We look forward to building on this result and getting back home to prepare for our next big event at Stanford."
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Said Ruffels: "I knew from the start of the day that I just had to stay steady because conditions weren't easy. I actually didn't know the score coming down the final 9 but just focused on trying to beat Raquel, who was in my group."
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Chang (73-72-71) and freshman Malia Nam (68-75-73) tied for 11th at even 216. Chang posted five birdies against four bogeys to secure her ninth straight top 15 finish, just missing out on her sixth career top 10. Nam, coming off a second-place debut in the season-opener, was also in line for a top 10 before two late bogeys.
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Junior Allisen Corpuz bounced back from a slow start to tie for 39th at 10-over 226 (76-77-73) while junior Aiko Leong tied for 70th at 26-over 242 (78-80-84).
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USC returns to action at the Stanford Intercollegiate, Oct. 19-21.
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