April 21, 2008

Results at Golfstat.com

Day One Results in PDF Format

Senior Paola Moreno turned in a 1-under 70 while freshman Lizette Salas and sophomore Belen Mozo each turned in par rounds to lead No. 3 USC to within a shot of the lead on the first day of the 2008 Pac-10 Women's Golf Championships on Monday (April 21) at Palos Verdes (Calif.) G.C.

USC combined for a 1-over 285, one stroke back of UCLA. Arizona State is third (296). Troy led for much of the first round before giving up ground to the Bruins on the final few holes. UCLA's Tiffany Joh and Sydnee Michaels are tied for the individual lead at 2-under. Moreno is a shot back in third.

"I'm very happy to have gotten off to a good start. We definitely got off to a strong start through the first nine holes," USC Head Coach Andrea Gaston said. "Unfortunately, we gave a few strokes back on some of the critical holes on the back 9, namely 13 and 14.

"Our goal for tomorrow is to really try to finish strong. It's something we talked about during the practice round (Sunday). Focus on the last few holes and finish well as a team."

Moreno, alone in third, was at or near the top of the leaderboard all day, sporting five birdies in a strong round before a double bogey pulled her back on 18. Moreno is looking to crack the top 10 for the first time since tying for 10th at this same course in the first spring event in February.

Like Moreno, Mozo was fighting for first place all day and was 2-under with four birdies on the day before settling for a pair of bogeys on the final two holes. Tied for fourth, she has not finished outside the top 20 in any event this season.

Salas, also tied four fourth, had four birdies to offset four bogeys to earn an even round. The freshman has finished in the top 15 in five of the last six tournaments.

Sophomore Stefanie Endstrasser is tied for ninth after a 2-over 73 while senior Dewi Claire Schreefel, coming off a win in her last event, is tied for 13th at 3-over 74. Endstrasser had three birdies during a round in which strong putting helped her save some holes while Schreefel rallied with a 1-under back 9 to stay in the top 20.

USC is after its second Pac-10 title, its first coming in 1989. Play continues Tuesday and Wednesday (April 22-23), beginning at 8 a.m. each day.

In addition to Pac-10 bragging rights, also on the line are points toward the USC-UCLA Lexus Gauntlet competition, the season-long battle between Trojans and Bruins in all sports. Points for women's (and men's) golf are awarded to the highest finisher between the crosstown rivals at the Pac-10 Championships. Five points are up for grabs for both women's golf. The winning school needs 57.5 points to clinch. USC currently leads 47.5-37.5.