STANFORD, Calif. — The No. 2 USC Women’s Golf Team opened the Stanford Invitational on Friday with a 1-under 283 as a team. USC sits in third out of 17 teams after the opening round on the par-71, 6,278-yard course.
The Trojans began on the 10th hole at Stanford Golf Course on Friday morning and, after a slow start, carded 14 birdies over their second nine to finish third in a stacked field. Host team No. 12 Stanford leads the way with a -13, while No. 4 Virginia sits in second at -8.
The Women of Troy were led by sophomore Sarah Hammett, who opened with a 3-under 68 and sits in a tie for sixth. Hammett began with bogeys on her first and second holes of the day, then played her remaining 16 holes bogey-free. She made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 before making the turn to the front nine, where she added three birdies to card a 32. Hammett’s opening round 68 is a 10-shot improvement from her opening-round last year at the Stanford Invitational.
Junior Elise Lee birdied her opening hole en route to a round of 2-under 69. After a bogey on hole 11, her second hole of the day, she made the turn at even par. Three birdies and a bogey on her second nine of the day leave her in a tie for ninth.
Fellow junior Kylie Chong is tied for 14th after an opening-round, 1-under 70. After a slow first nine, making just one bogey, Chong made the turn 1 over. A 2-under 33 on her second nine, which included five birdies, gave her five under-par rounds already this season.
Freshman Kalil Xiao rounded out the Trojans’ counting scores with a 5-over 76. Xiao struggled on her first nine, making five bogeys in a row before carding her first birdie of the round on her ninth hole of the day. On her second nine, she added two more birdies, a double bogey and a bogey to turn in a second-nine 36, leaving her in a tie for 60th.
Hammett, Lee, Chong and Xiao dominated the par 5s on their second nine, playing the two par 5s in a combined 8 under.
Senior Bailey Shoemaker opened with a 7-over 78 and is tied for 81st. Shoemaker bogeyed her first hole of the day and made another bogey on her eighth before birdieing her ninth. Shoemaker struggled on her second nine with a 6-over 41.
Tee times for Saturday have not been determined as of press time. All pertinent information can be found on the women’s golf team’s schedule page on usctrojans.com.
INDIVIDUAL SCORES
T6. Sarah Hammett, -3 (68)
T9. Elise Lee, -2 (69)
T14. Kylie Chong, -1 (70)
T60. Kalil Xiao, +5 (76)
T81. Bailey Shoemaker, +7 (78)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. No. 12 Stanford, -13 (271)
2. No. 4 Virginia, -8 (276)
3. No. 2 USC, -1 (283)
4. No. 42 SMU, +1 (285)
T5. No. 28 Pepperdine, +3 (287)
T5. No. 24 Kansas, +3 (287)
T5. No. 35 Northwestern, +3 (287)
T8. No. 8 UCLA, +7 (291)
T8. No. 17 Iowa State, +7 (291)
10. UC Davis, +9 (293)
11. No. 48 California, +12 (296)
12. San Jose State, +13 (297)
13. Michigan, +14 (298)
14. Colorado, +15 (299)
15. Santa Clara, +17 (301)
16. Cal State Fullerton, +24 (308)
17. Oregon State, +25 (309)