USC women’s golf traveled north to Stanford with something to prove. The Trojans capitalized on the opportunity by sharing the Stanford Intercollegiate team title, while freshman Jasmine Koo took home the individual title. 

At the end of Round 1 on Friday, No. 1 Stanford led the field and the Trojans found themselves trailing by seven strokes. Koo and junior Catherine Park led the Trojans at three- and two-under par, respectively, carding just four combined bogeys. Round 2 was relatively quiet with little movement around the top of the leaderboard, but USC regained three strokes and headed into Sunday down only four shots.

USC, Stanford and Texas — the three highest-ranked teams on the field — all scored team-best rounds Sunday, but the Trojans tied their third-lowest round of its long history in the Stanford Intercollegiate and earned a share of the crown. Park and Koo combined for 14-under par in Round 3, with the latter barely besting the former for the best individual score.

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Koo’s consistency throughout the weekend ultimately led her to the tournament’s individual title, but she knows there’s more room to improve.

“I honestly did not play [to] the best of my ability because I was having some swing issues coming into this event,” Koo said. “ I did a lot of work with my coaches and our sports psychologist … on how not to fix my game, but how to play this golf course and how to strategize better. And that really helped me this week.”

One theme surrounding this Trojan squad is strategy — heading into every tournament and every round of golf with a plan, which starts with Head Coach Justin Silverstein and Assistant Coach Beth Wu.

“We had a really good strategy for this golf course,” Silverstein said. “After the first round, Beth and I told the team, ‘We’re going to pick up strokes against the field on our strategy alone.’ As long as they commit to it, and then if they execute at a high level, then we’ll pick them up and in bulk. I’m proud of the group for committing to that.”

One other pillar Silverstein harps on is getting contributions from every member of the team, which was instrumental in getting the Trojans to the top of the leaderboard this weekend. Even though Koo and Park led the Trojans in overall scoring, senior Cindy Kou drilled a six-foot putt to clinch the tie for USC on her final hole. Those are the sort of contributions Silverstein wants to see from his team.

“[I’m] really happy with the production one to five,” Silverstein said. “[The tournament] gives us a lot of stuff we need to work on in the next five days before we leave for Atlanta. In a coach’s eyes, it’s almost a perfect win because leave here with the trophy but also leave here with enough stuff to work on and keep their attention on at home.”

Silverstein said Kou hasn’t been playing the way she’d like to on the road thus far, but her performance this weekend will go a long way toward building up confidence. Freshman Kylie Chong didn’t have her best week but had several saves shots that contributed to the Trojans’ result. For the moment, sophomore Bailey Shoemaker seems to be the Trojans’ No. 3, and her consistency will be invaluable throughout the season.

Koo has quickly made a significant impact for the Trojans and is following in former standout Amari Avery’s footsteps, winning back-to-back individual titles at Stanford and at the Windy City Classic. However, she’s also quickly embraced the team’s comradery, which is crucial for a team with lofty goals.

“We’re still working towards our end goal, which is winning nationals,” Koo said. “I’ve learned throughout these [first] three tournaments that our team looks out for each other. We’ll be honest, give feedback and be critical, but in a way that we want to help each other. And I think that’s something that you won’t find anywhere else.”

The Trojans’ final tournament of the fall is next weekend in Atlanta at East Lake Golf Club.