University Southern California Trojans
Green Golfers Go For Gold
April 20, 2018 | Women's Golf, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The Trojans watched their 2017 season come to an end when one putt fell a painstaking inch short in the NCAA Semifinals against Northwestern. Flash forward nearly a year, and the new-look Women of Troy are back up to No. 4 in the nation, having won three straight events heading into this weekend's Pac-12 Championships.
Current players and coaches agree that they didn't see this type of success coming. The Trojans lost four graduating seniors last spring and two more members of the roster decided to go pro at the end of the 2017 fall season, leaving USC with none of the starters from their 2017 NCAA title run.
"We were a little bit shellshocked when we found out how many players we were losing," said USC head coach Andrea Gaston. "But recruiting is something you do all the time, no matter what ... Our message to the remaining girls was, 'Don't worry, we're going to be just fine. Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep preparing.'"
A few strokes of luck helped the Trojans reboot faster than expected.
Jennifer Chang, who graduated early from high school in North Carolina, was committed to coming in the fall of 2018, but after some cajoling from Gaston, she enrolled in January instead. Australia native Gabi Ruffels and New Zealand native Amelia Garvey finished up school in November as well, and were able to reinforce the bare bones team.
Despite being just a few months into their first semester of college, those three freshmen have bolstered spots in USC's starting lineup, alongside freshman Alyaa Abdulghany, who enrolled in the fall, and sophomore Allisen Corpuz, the only returner from last spring's squad.
Corpuz (pictured, right) has quickly had to adjust to being the veteran on an extremely young team.
"I'm just trying to lead by example," she said. "Trying to put in good practices and have the best mindset possible ... I know I have to step up because you have a team relying on me to play well, and a sense of responsibility to put my best foot forward."
Gaston gushed about how Corpuz has embraced her new role.
"She can be a quiet individual, but it's given her the chance to step into that role where she's excellent in academics — she's the first player we've ever had on academic scholarship — and she's a good enough athlete to get an athletic scholarship, so she's got both," Gaston said. "She's a great example to the rest of the team, and I think the girls do look up to her."
Corpuz has helped guide the Trojans to their longest win streak since the 2014 season, taking the top spot in the Bruin Wave Invitational, the SDSU March Mayhem Tournament and the Silverado Cup. In the latter, USC came out on top of other Pac-12 powerhouses like UCLA and Stanford.
The coaches and players agree that the team's youth has been more of a benefit than a downfall this spring. The three recently-enrolled freshmen live together, and they keep each other accountable in terms of getting to practice and other events on time. Plus, starting the roster from scratch prevented pre-formed cliques from getting in the way of the girls building friendships with each other.
Chang, who leads the team in stroke average and has posted three Top 3 finishes in five events so far, explained that that team chemistry is extremely important, even in a sport that's relatively individual.
"I think it's important because even if you're playing as an individual, you still want to support your teammates," said Chang (pictured below). "If you don't have that support, you don't really feel like you're part of a team. If I wasn't close with my teammates, I wouldn't feel motivated or enjoy it as much."
According to Corpuz, there's another serious benefit to youth in the sport of golf.
"I think when you're the younger person, the underdog, you kind of go out on the course and have no fear and attack everything," she said. "My game has improved at SC, but there are things that I try to take from when I was way younger, like going out and not thinking, 'What if I hit this shot here?' The freshmen just go out there not really thinking about the worst. They're just out there to compete and play their best."
Their best has the Trojans in serious contention to win the Pac-12 Championships, which begin on Sunday in Seattle.
But Gaston said one key to success all season has been playing without expectations, and the team is taking that same no-pressure attitude into Pac-12s despite their impressive win streak. Whether or not they take home the crown, the remarkable four-freshman-and-a-sophomore starting lineup has exceeded expectations all year.
"People were asking, 'How is USC going to perform?' It certainly answers that question well," said Chang of the team's surprising success. "It just proves to everyone that despite how young we are, we're still USC, and we can still play."
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Current players and coaches agree that they didn't see this type of success coming. The Trojans lost four graduating seniors last spring and two more members of the roster decided to go pro at the end of the 2017 fall season, leaving USC with none of the starters from their 2017 NCAA title run.
"We were a little bit shellshocked when we found out how many players we were losing," said USC head coach Andrea Gaston. "But recruiting is something you do all the time, no matter what ... Our message to the remaining girls was, 'Don't worry, we're going to be just fine. Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep preparing.'"
A few strokes of luck helped the Trojans reboot faster than expected.
Jennifer Chang, who graduated early from high school in North Carolina, was committed to coming in the fall of 2018, but after some cajoling from Gaston, she enrolled in January instead. Australia native Gabi Ruffels and New Zealand native Amelia Garvey finished up school in November as well, and were able to reinforce the bare bones team.
Despite being just a few months into their first semester of college, those three freshmen have bolstered spots in USC's starting lineup, alongside freshman Alyaa Abdulghany, who enrolled in the fall, and sophomore Allisen Corpuz, the only returner from last spring's squad.
Corpuz (pictured, right) has quickly had to adjust to being the veteran on an extremely young team."I'm just trying to lead by example," she said. "Trying to put in good practices and have the best mindset possible ... I know I have to step up because you have a team relying on me to play well, and a sense of responsibility to put my best foot forward."
Gaston gushed about how Corpuz has embraced her new role.
"She can be a quiet individual, but it's given her the chance to step into that role where she's excellent in academics — she's the first player we've ever had on academic scholarship — and she's a good enough athlete to get an athletic scholarship, so she's got both," Gaston said. "She's a great example to the rest of the team, and I think the girls do look up to her."
Corpuz has helped guide the Trojans to their longest win streak since the 2014 season, taking the top spot in the Bruin Wave Invitational, the SDSU March Mayhem Tournament and the Silverado Cup. In the latter, USC came out on top of other Pac-12 powerhouses like UCLA and Stanford.
The coaches and players agree that the team's youth has been more of a benefit than a downfall this spring. The three recently-enrolled freshmen live together, and they keep each other accountable in terms of getting to practice and other events on time. Plus, starting the roster from scratch prevented pre-formed cliques from getting in the way of the girls building friendships with each other.
Chang, who leads the team in stroke average and has posted three Top 3 finishes in five events so far, explained that that team chemistry is extremely important, even in a sport that's relatively individual.
"I think it's important because even if you're playing as an individual, you still want to support your teammates," said Chang (pictured below). "If you don't have that support, you don't really feel like you're part of a team. If I wasn't close with my teammates, I wouldn't feel motivated or enjoy it as much."
According to Corpuz, there's another serious benefit to youth in the sport of golf.
"I think when you're the younger person, the underdog, you kind of go out on the course and have no fear and attack everything," she said. "My game has improved at SC, but there are things that I try to take from when I was way younger, like going out and not thinking, 'What if I hit this shot here?' The freshmen just go out there not really thinking about the worst. They're just out there to compete and play their best."
Their best has the Trojans in serious contention to win the Pac-12 Championships, which begin on Sunday in Seattle.
But Gaston said one key to success all season has been playing without expectations, and the team is taking that same no-pressure attitude into Pac-12s despite their impressive win streak. Whether or not they take home the crown, the remarkable four-freshman-and-a-sophomore starting lineup has exceeded expectations all year.
"People were asking, 'How is USC going to perform?' It certainly answers that question well," said Chang of the team's surprising success. "It just proves to everyone that despite how young we are, we're still USC, and we can still play."
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