Story Links
PALOS VERDES, Calif. — No. 9 Pepperdine women’s golf posted a strong round one performance at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge Sunday morning from Palos Verdes Golf Club.
The Waves shot 6-over par as a team, putting them in third place among 16 teams in the field through 18 holes of play.
In addition, three Waves rank in the top-20 individually with Eunseo Choi sitting in seventh place after an even par-71 effort.
The course played challenging with the average score being over 75 on the par-71 course. Just six individuals recorded rounds under par, with Kansas’ individual Kinslea Jones pacing the field at 4-under, while No. 23 UCLA was the lone team to go under par at 2-under.
“We were a little rusty at the start of the round, but I was very proud of how everyone battled on the back nine,” noted head coach Laurie Gibbs following the round. “We’re looking forward to improving each day.”
Eunseo Choi carded three birdies on the front nine to quickly get out to a 2-under mark through seven holes. Choi ended up making the turn with a 1-over 36 on the front, before rattling off seven straight pars to begin the back nine. She picked up her fourth birdie of the round on 17, to get in at even par with a 71, putting her in seventh individually.
Jeneath Wong recorded a 1-over 72 in her first round of the spring, bogeying holes two and six before getting a stroke back on the par-5 seventh with a birdie. Wong would go on to par the final 11 holes of her round, putting her in a tie for 17th individually.
Yingzhi Zhu also got in with a 72 to enter Monday’s second round in 17th, with a more colorful scorecard than Wong’s. Zhu answered an early bogey with a birdie on hole five, eventually finishing up the front nine with a 1-over 36 following another birdie at the eighth. Zhu went even on the back, bogeying the 11th before recording a birdie on the par-3 15th.
Kylee Choi contributed to the Waves’ scoring with a 4-over 75 to begin her spring campaign. Choi bookended the front nine with bogeys, with a birdie on the 5th helping her make the turn with a 38. After going bogey-birdie-bogey on the 11-13th, she finished out her round in form with five straight pars. Choi sits in 44th individually following the round.
Grace Anderson rounded out the lineup with a 9-over 80, carding a 42 on the front nine before rebounding with a 38 on the back nine.
Team Leaderboard
1. No. 23 UCLA (-2)
2. No. 7 Texas A&M (+2)
T3. No. 9 Pepperdine (+6)
T3. No. 11 Texas (+6)
5. No. 6 Florida (+8)
6. No. 42 Kansas (+9)
T7. No. 13 Arizona State (+10)
T7. No. 3 Oregon State (+10)
T7. No. 31 SMU (+10)
10. No. 18 South Carolina (+12)
T11. UNLV (+14)
T11. San Jose State (+14)
13. No. 49 Ohio State (+17)
T14. Miami (+19)
T14. No. 2 USC (+19)
16. Cal (+26)
Pepperdine Leaderboard
7. Eunseo Choi (E)
T17. Jeneath Wong (+1)
T17. Yingzhi Zhu (+1)
44. Kylee Choi (+4)
77. Grace Anderson (+9)
Full results from the round can be found here.
The Waves will be off tee 10 for tomorrow’s round two, with Grace Anderson teeing off at 10:12 a.m. to lead off the Waves.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S GOLF
Pepperdine women’s golf has consistently been one of the top collegiate programs in the country under head coach Laurie Gibbs, exemplified by the current streak of 26 straight seasons with an NCAA Regional appearance. Having advanced to the NCAA Championships on 14 of those occasions, the Waves also boast 21 WCC Championships since 1998. Since the year 2000, 15 athletes have garnered All-American honors with a total of 31 selections.
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ABOUT SVN2 INDOOR GOLF
The Pepperdine women’s golf 2025-26 season is sponsored by SVN2 Golf. SVN2 Golf is a Southern California based premium indoor golf simulation experience that uses advanced TrackMan technology to provide realistic gameplay, instant swing feedback, and practice tools for golfers of all levels. The facility offers a high-tech, immersive experience with a wide variety of legendary and exclusive courses, a relaxed, self-service environment, and opportunities for leagues and events. Facilities in Newbury Park and Malibu were joined in 2025 by new venues in Woodland Hills and Santa Clarita. For more information, visit www.svn2golf.com.