HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. – Coming off a historic week which saw it win back-to-back tournaments, the California women's golf team returns to the road this weekend for the Ron Moore Intercollegiate. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played on Friday through Sunday at the University of Denver Golf Club.
After following up their record-breaking performance as co-hosts and co-winners of the Molly Invitational with a 4-3 win in the Big Match over Stanford last Thursday, the Golden Bears enter their fourth competition of the season with their highest national ranking yet at No. 22 (Golfweek). Among the 14 teams that will be competing in Highlands Ranch this weekend, that ranking is second only to No. 11 Vanderbilt.
"The team feels so good. We're coming off a really great high and just a really good week overall," junior Kaylyn Noh said. "I've seen the amount of hard work that my teammates have been putting in during the past year and just how incredibly talented they are. They've really shown what true resiliency is."
Cal's lineup consists of its top five scorers from last week, a cohort currently being led by standout freshman Constance Fouillet. The first-year Bear has shot par or better in five of her first six rounds, a run highlighted by her tying the program's individual 18-hole record with a 6-under-par 66 in round one of the Molly Invitational.
Fouillet finished that tournament tied for seventh individually with teammates Olivia Lee and Adora Liu, both of whom have taken leaps to begin their sophomore seasons. Lee is one of three Bears to record a 5-under round this season, with her team-leading 67 in the final round of the Molly guiding Cal to a first-place tie with then-No. 2 Oregon.
"To be able to finish as co-champions with Oregon, take that momentum into the Big Match and beat our rivals last week was really fun and a really good experience," Noh said. "I'm really excited to see how we finish throughout the rest of the year."
Noh is the only Bear so far to shoot 5-under two different times, doing so in each of the first two tournaments of the season. Noh also joined Liu and Lee in claiming key wins competing alongside their Cal men's golf counterparts in the Bears' Big Match victory.
Senior Cristina Ochoa continues to be a fixture in Cal's lineup, set to play in her 16th straight event since the start of last season.
TOURNAMENT INFO
- Dates: Oct. 6-8, 2023
- Format: 54 holes (18-18-18, Friday-Sunday)
- Tee times: 8:30-10:10 a.m. PT
- Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo. | University of Denver Golf Club
- Course Info: Par 72 | 6,648 Yards
- Host: Denver
- Live Scoring: Birdiefire
THE FIELD (14)
Harvard, Tulane, San Diego State, Washington State, Wisconsin, Colorado, Xavier, UNLV, Kansas, Oregon State, No. 22 California, New Mexico, No. 11 Vanderbilt, Denver
OFF THE TEE
1 – Cristina Ochoa (Hole 1, 8:20 a.m. PT)
Top Finish: T29, Molly Invitational
Best 18-Holes: 71 (-1), Molly Invitational Rd. 1
Last Week: 71-72-75 – 218 (+2), Molly Invitational
Quick Facts: Only Bear to appear in every competition since the start of last season … In 2022-23, led the Bears with six top-20 finishes and recorded their lowest scoring average (73.8) through their first 10 competitions
2 – Kaylyn Noh (Hole 1, 8:30 a.m. PT)
Top Finish: T20, Molly Invitational
Best 18-Holes: 67 (-5), Molly Invitational Rd. 1
Last Week: 67-71-77 – 215 (-1), Molly Invitational
Quick Facts: First Bear to record multiple rounds of 5-under par this season … Earned first top-20 finish of her Cal career at the Molly … Claimed a 3&2 win with Ethan Fang at the Big Match … During the summer, won the inaugural Virginia Women's Open and medaled at the CA Women's Amateur Championship
3 – Olivia Lee (Hole 1, 8:40 a.m. PT)
Top Finish: T7, Molly Invitational
Best 18-Holes: 67 (-5), Molly Invitational Rd. 3
Last Week: 69-73-67 – 209 (-7), Molly Invitational
Quick Facts: Recorded her first two sub-70 rounds as a Bear at the Molly … Earned a 3&2 win at the Big Match competing alongside Costas Panay … Nominated for Pac-12 Golfer of the Week on Oct. 2 … In 2022-23, earned a spot in the Bears' postseason lineup and had her highest individual finishes at the Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Palm Beach Gardens Regional
4 – Constance Fouillet (Hole 1, 8:50 a.m. PT)
Top Finish: T7, Molly Invitational
Best 18-Holes: 66 (-6), Molly Invitational Rd. 1
Last Week: 66-72-71 – 209 (-7), Molly Invitational
Quick Facts: Cal's low scorer in each of its first two tournaments … Tied program's individual 18-hole record with a 6-under 66 at the Molly Invitational … Leads team with five rounds of par or better and two top-20 finishes
5 – Adora Liu (Hole 1, 9:00 a.m. PT)
Top Finish: T7, Molly Invitational
Best 18-Holes: 67 (-5), Molly Invitational Rd. 3
Last Week: 69-70-70 – 209, Molly Invitational
Quick Facts: Only Bear to shoot under par in all three rounds of the Molly … Finished second on the team at the season-opening Dick McGuire Invitational … Posted a career-best 3-under 69 round in each of Cal's first two tournaments … This past summer, finished first in the qualifying round of the NCGA Women's Amateur before advancing to the semifinals
STAY POSTED
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