Women’s golf sneaks past USC in last round to win PING/ASU Invitational

UCLA and USC are neck and neck for the top seed in the West come the women’s golf postseason. Going into this weekend, the Bruins knew they had to beat the Trojans in their next two tournaments in order to attain their desired seeding.

Now, it’s one down, one to go.

UCLA took first this weekend in the PING/ASU Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., for the second year in a row.

They finished each day in first, tying on the second day with USC. The tournament ended with the Bruins in first with a score of 863 (-1). USC placed second with an 867 (+3).

The hot, dry Arizona weather played into UCLA’s favor. The team had not had a chance to play in conditions that were anything but cold, rainy and windy all spring season.

UCLA was the only team to finish under par, and USC was a mere four strokes behind. Third-place Arizona finished with 878 (+14), a full 11 strokes behind USC. Texas took fourth with 880 (+16), and Stanford rounded out the top five with 886 (+22).

Individually, the Bruins ended up with four top-10 finishers. Sophomore Tiffany Lua, ranked No. 29 in the nation, took second place, shooting 213 (-3). Junior Stephanie Kono ended up in third, just one stroke behind Lua, with 214 (-2), for her fifth top-10 finish of the season.

Freshman Ani Gulugian and redshirt sophomore Lee Lopez were part of a four-way tie for 10th with 218 (+2). Senior Glory Yang ended up in a five-way tie for 25th with a score of 223 (+7).

The overall individual champion was USC freshman Sophia Popov, who ended up only two strokes ahead of Lua, and is ranked No. 8 in the nation.

The team will next compete at the Pac-10 Championship in Tempe. The competition will take place on the same course as the PING/ASU Invitational. The Bruins took second place in the Championship last year.

Compiled by Emma Coghlan, Bruin Sports contributor.