Oregon Ducks Women's Golf Takes 2nd Place at Therese Hession Regional Challenge

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, California - The Oregon Ducks shined bright on the final day of the Therese Hession Regional at Palos Verdes Golf Club on Tuesday where they shot the best round in program history.

The No. 6 Ducks fired an astounding 12-under 272 in the final round, five strokes better than any team this week and two strokes better than the previous program record of 274, set at the Westbrook Invitational in 2013-14.

The Ducks were led by freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham who made history of her own, making nine birdies which broke the Therese Hession Regional Challenge single-round scoring record with a 7-under 64.

Vinijchaitham - who goes by the nickname 'Hut' - tied for the second-lowest score in UO single-round history.

"Just an incredible day for the Ducks," head coach Derek Radley said. “To have the type of round we had today and to finish second in a field of this caliber is a testament to the talent and dedication of our ladies. What an awesome way to get our spring season started."

After a 9-over 293 in Monday's round put them in a tie for fifth, the Ducks jumped past No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 Texas, and Florida to finish alone in second place at 4-under par, behind only No. 4 USC (-9).

"Hut was absolutely dialed in today," Radley said. "That is one of the more impressive individual rounds I've ever seen, and for it to come from a true freshman is really amazing. This is an historic tournament that has hosted a lot of incredible players, so for her to break the scoring record at this event is really something. I couldn't be more proud of her."

The Ducks were led all week by star sophomore Kiara Romero, who shot below par for the third straight round with a 3-under 68. She finished alone in second overall with a 6-under 207 for the week, tied for the fifth-lowest score in a 54-hole tournament ever by a Duck.

"Kiara is our rock," Radley said. "She was so steady all week long and just has such command of the golf course every time she goes out there. She is one of the elite players in our sport and we are fortunate to have her at the top of our lineup."

Oregon also got a breakout performance from sophomore Ting-Hsuan Huang, who posted her best round as a Duck with a 4-under 67. The trio of Vinijchaitham, Huang and Romero combined to shoot 14-under par on Tuesday with 17 total birdies.

Vinijchaitham's stellar round vaulted her 35 spots up the leaderboard, finishing in a tie for sixth overall at 1-under par. Her 64 ties Alexis Phadungmartvorakul (2017-18) for the second-lowest score in program history, trailing only Cathleen Santoso's 63 from the Westbrook Invitational in 2013-14.

The only player to vault further up the leaderboard on Tuesday than Vinijchaitham was Huang, who catapulted up 36 spots into a tie for 21st.

Romero now owns 33 par-or-better showings in 44 career rounds, and she fired her fourth sub-70 round of the season and 12th of her career. She matched her best finish of the season in second place, securing her ninth top-10 finish in 15 events.

Sophomore Karen Tsuru rounded out Oregon's counting scores on Tuesday with her best round of the week, a 2-over 73. Freshman Tong An didn't count towards the team score in the final round, but she earned a top-20 finish in a tie for 15th overall at 2-over par.

The Ducks will be back in action on Feb. 15-17 at the Alice & John Wallace Classic in Palm Springs, California.