USC showed out in its recent tournament at Chambers Bay Golf Club in Tacoma, Washington on Sept. 18 and 19. The Leadership and Golf Invitational was the team’s first test of the season and they passed with flying colors. Out of 19 teams, USC outperformed every other school to take home first place. Junior Amari Avery was able to secure the individual title with an impressive weekend score of 68-72-67.

 The Trojans were the only team to finish under par, shooting -27 across three rounds (276, 285, 276). Second place Minnesota was 31 strokes back after shooting +4 collectively (283, 285, 300).

Chambers Bay and the Trojans’ home turf Rolling Hills Country Club are both links-style courses with a naturally open layout. Four out of USC’s starting five have played the US Women’s Amateur Golf Championship at Chambers Bay, allowing a level of comfort for the athletes to simply swing their swing. 

The team takes great pride in their iron and wedge play, crediting the campus facilities of three indoor swing simulators as one reason the team was able to go so low. 

“It’s a fixed environment, 72 degrees, perfect golf ball, and perfect lie, so we really try to dial in our yardages and our lines in our indoor settings,” Head Coach Justin Silverstein said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “So far three scoring is something we try to excel at, and it’s kind of a product of that work.” 

The players are able to focus on form, tempo and repetition because of the perfect conditions inside the simulator’s facilities. When they get to the course, it’s just a matter of replication. 

“You know, getting your speed on the greens better and really dialing in on our wedge game … our associate head coach Tiffany Joh does an amazing job with that,” Silverstein said. 

Joh’s assistance has been able to bring the best out of her players’ short games — crucial for shaving strokes and playing with confidence in tournaments.

Coming off an impressive run at last year’s NCAA nationals and the Pac-12 championship, the Trojans have plenty of motivation. Last year, the Trojans fell just short of a national title after losing to Wake Forest in the NCAA final. 

“We’re happy we got that far. We got great experience from that … But yeah, I think there was a little chip on the shoulder of our players to get after it a little more this summer and prepare a little better, which is nice. They definitely did that, because they came back looking pretty sharp,” Silverstein said.

It appears as if women’s golf is on a revenge tour, with Avery leading the charge. Going into this year’s opening event, NBC Golf had USC’s preseason ranking at No. 2. The expectations are as high as ever this season after bringing in freshman phenoms Bailey Shoemaker and Frances Kim. 

Avery did not shy away from the spotlight after posting a 9-under finish across the three-round event. 

“She’s been one of the handful of best players in the county … She broke our ‘Rounds in the 60s’ record for the school, which is a record she had her eyes locked in on … She did that in only four semesters, which is pretty crazy. So we’re proud of her for that,” Silverstein said. 

However, Avery may not be with the team for the entire year. She is currently going through LPGA qualifying school in pursuit of a professional tour card. Her team is well-aware, and remains fully supportive. 

Losing Avery would be a big blow for the Trojans, but they are far from just a one-man team. The rest of the roster is stacked with sophomore Catherine Park and senior Brianna Navarrosa both shooting 7-under in the tournament, tying for second place. Senior Christine Wang placed fifth with her 2-under round, while Shoemaker was tied for 13th after a 1-over round. 

“Preparation wise, we should keep building on what we did this week. You know, we have a pretty strict system of practice that we utilize, and we’re gonna keep building on that … just keep stacking good rounds and good weeks,” Silverstein said.

With such a deep roster, expect to see different lineups throughout the season. Stay tuned for the Windy City Classic on Oct. 2 and 3 — where the Trojans will take on Westmoreland Country Club in Chicago, Illinois in hopes of defending last year’s win.