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On Wednesday, the no. 2 ranked USC Trojans golf team captured its region in the NCAA Golf Championships, thus advancing to the 30 team final round in Chicago.
The three round regional tournament contested in Samammish, Wash., featured thirteen other schools vying for a spot in the finale, most notably no. 11 Kent State and no. 24 Florida State. After FSU raced out to an early day one lead, the Trojans would take over on Tuesday’s second round, where they shot one under as a team. Solid scores from all five starters during the final day solidified a USC win, as they won the tournament by six strokes with Kent State finishing second and the Seminoles closing in at third.
Three of USC’s five starting golfers finished in the top five individual rankings. Junior Sean Crocker and sophomore Justin Suh tied for second overall at four under par. Crocker had a career best 64 round on Monday, while Suh shot two straight 68s during the first two rounds. Senior Rico Hoey was steady throughout, recording three straight 70s and finishing fifth. Freshman Cheng Jin struggled more than his fellow teammates but recovered nicely on Wednesday shooting a 72. Junior Jonah Texeira finished 47th at fourteen over par.
Now the Trojans will head to the Windy City for the NCAA Finals beginning on May 26th. After coming up just short in the last two Finals (2nd place in 2015, semi- finalist last year), the Trojans will seek their first ever national title next week.