Women’s golf shows out at Alice and John Classic
Senior Catherine Park led the Trojans to victory in their third spring tournament.
Over President’s Day weekend, USC women’s golf put on a dominant showing at the annual Alice and John Classic, finishing 26 strokes ahead of runner-up Eastern Michigan University to maintain its No. 2 national ranking.
The Trojans have been off to a hot start this spring season; this weekend marked their second win of the new year after defeating crosstown rival No. 14 UCLA in the Battle of LA in late January.
The group of seven golfers traveled to the desert for the 12th Alice and John Classic, where they competed against 15 teams from across the nation, including UC Berkeley, No. 12 Vanderbilt and UCLA. The Trojans shot a strong 17-under to finish in first, well ahead of Eastern Michigan and UCLA, who came in second and third place, respectively.
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Senior Catherine Park was the star of the show, finishing first overall with a tournament-wide 11-under 202 — just one stroke away from her USC record of 201. Following the tournament, Park shot up to No. 8 overall in the nationwide collegiate rankings, her highest ranking so far this season.
“Catherine Park, getting the individual win and leading our team very consistently throughout the week, was a huge part of our victory,” Head Coach Justin Silverstein said in a post-tournament interview with the Daily Trojan.
Park’s first-place finish marked her fifth career win overall in her senior year at USC.
In addition to Park’s success, Silverstein praised sophomore Kylie Chong for “leading the charge” toward the team’s victory, as she was one of just three golfers to shoot under par and brought home a third-place finish with a 4-under 209. Chong enjoyed a significant boost in the rankings as well, moving up from No. 58 to No. 33.
The rest of the team followed with strong showings, with sophomore Jasmine Koo finishing in eighth place, junior Bailey Shoemaker in ninth and sophomore Elise Lee in 14th.
Freshmen Sarah Hammett and Chloe Kim also competed individually, finishing in 21st and 32nd place, respectively.
Even with the strong showing, Silverstein said the team can always improve, specifically working on chipping and pitching. Overall, however, he said the Trojans are coming home happy with their win and are “eager to get back to work.”
Silverstein’s squad has about a month to practice and improve before their next tournament: the GameAbove Invitational, which will take place from March 9-10. USC will host the event at its home venue, Rolling Hills, at the Rolling Hills Country Club. The Trojans will compete against Eastern Michigan and UCLA, again, alongside eight other teams traveling from across the country.
