USC takes second place at tournament
The USC men’s golf team, No. 4 in the nation and coming off back-to-back top-two tournament finishes, made it three in a row with another strong performance, finishing second in the final day of play at the San Diego Intercollegiate Tournament. The tournament, held at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif., featured 15 teams, with Washington capturing first place.
On par · The No. 4 Trojans spent three days in San Diego at the San Diego Intercollegiate Tournament. Senior Steven Lim finished even. - Photo courtesy of USC Sports Information
The Trojans finished at 13-over par, seven strokes behind Washington, which came in at 6-over par. The competition featured a third place finish by rival UCLA (20-over par) and a tie for fourth place between San Diego State and Tennessee (23-over par).
The team received solid play from senior Steve Lim and junior Martin Trainer, both of whom finished tied for third at even-216. Sophomore Jeffrey Kang, coming off his first tournament victory, notched his third straight top-eight finish, ending tied for eighth at three-over 219, including an impressive four birdies and even finishes on the front and back nine.
Junior Sam Smith also finished tied for eighth at 3-over par, rebounding from a four-over par through four holes to remain even for the rest of the round. Freshman Anthony Paolucci finished at 13-over par, tied for 40th, while sophomore Ramsey Sahyoun came in at 48th with an overall score of 15-over par.
The first day of play saw the Trojans collect a score of 288, four strokes behind the Huskies. Lim fired an even-72, while Kang recorded five birdies to finish even as well. Trainer, the 2011 Pac-10 champion, shot a two-under par without a bogey. Sahyoun came in at two-over par, while Paolucci struggled to a 4-over 76.
The Trojans struggled individually during the second day of play, finishing with a score of 299. Only Lim finished under par, firing a 1-under par to cap a solid two-round performance. Kang followed an up-and-down first round with a three-over par, while Paolucci concluded at four-over par. Trainer found it difficult to maintain his performance from the first round, finishing five-over par, while Sahyoun came in tied for 38th at 9-over par.
The Trojans regrouped considerably in the third round, riding impressive back nine performances from Kang and Trainer to finish second. Trainer finished off in style, notching four consecutive birdies in the final round to finish 3-under par.
Kang also recorded four birdies, finishing even at par. Lim came in at one-over par, while Sahyoun finished at four-over par and Paolucci ended tied for 40th with a five-over par in the final round. The top-two finish marked the third such standing in a row for the Trojans, who won their final fall event before also taking second at the annual Amer Ari event in Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii, earlier in the month.
Following this, the Trojans will have two weeks off before participating in the Del Walker Match Play, an all-day tournament to be held at the Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, Calif., from Feb. 27-28.