Sophia Popov becomes first USC Women’s Golf alum to win a Major

An ordinary weekend turned into an extraordinary one for former USC Trojans golfer Sophia Popov.

Going wire to wire on the final day of the AIG Women’s Open, Popov won her first Major Championship and became the first former Trojan to win a Major in USC history.

She also won a check worth six times her career earnings to date in the process.

Popov finished at 7-under par, 277, for the tournament, two strokes better than the second-place finisher, Jasmine Suwannapura.

Though she was part of USC’s 2013 NCAA title team, she entered Sunday of the tournament with a three-stroke lead, and entered the final hole on the final day with that same three-stroke lead. She set foot on the green of the 18th hole with three putts to win the championship.

A lengthy par putt didn’t quite clinch it in the most dramatic of ways, but a tap-in bogey became her favorite bogey of her career, without a doubt. In fact, it was the best week of her career.

“It is an incredible story personally for me,” Popov said. “That’s why I think I broke down on the 18th hole because it has been something I couldn’t have dreamed of just a week ago.”It’s incredible that golf allows for these things to happen. I pretty much had the week of my life.”

A bogey to remember. A tournament to remember. Congratulations, Sophia! Fight On!