The Ducks struggled to sustain early momentum at Oakmont, closing the conference tournament outside the top five for the first time in 22 events.
Oregon women’s golf entered the 2026 Big Ten Championships with a chance to defend last year’s conference title, but the Ducks could not build enough momentum over three rounds at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, California.
The No. 6 Ducks finished ninth in the 18-team field at 38-over par after rounds of 290, 291 and 297. Oregon was in seventh place after each
of the first two rounds, but a difficult Sunday dropped the Ducks two spots down the leaderboard. No. 2 USC led wire to wire and entered the final round in control at 4-under par.
The weekend also marked the end of one of Oregon’s most impressive recent runs. The Ducks had finished in the top five in 21 consecutive tournaments before this week’s ninth-place result.
Oregon played the conference championship without junior Kiara Romero, the reigning Big Ten individual champion and the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world. Romero missed the event to compete in the Chevron Championship, an LPGA major.
Ducks Start Strong Before Back-Nine Trouble
Oregon opened Friday’s first round with a solid front nine and was sitting second behind only USC midway through the day. The Ducks’ four counting scorers combined to play the front nine at even par, putting them in position for a strong opening round.
That changed on the back nine.
Between holes 14 and 17, Oregon’s lineup combined for 10 bogeys and a triple bogey, turning a promising start into a 10-over 290. That left the Ducks tied for seventh after round one.
Sophomore Tong An led Oregon with a 1-over 71. She was 1 under at the turn and 2 under through 11 holes before three late bogeys pushed her over par. Darae Chung followed with a 2-over 72, Sophie Han shot 3-over, and Karen Tsuru rounded out the counting scores at 4-over.
Han opened with 13 straight pars and added a birdie on No. 14, but a triple bogey on No. 15 derailed her round. Tsuru, making just her second appearance of the season while returning from injury, was 1 over after a birdie on No. 11 before bogeying three of her next four holes.
An Holds Steady in Round Two
Saturday belonged to An, who put together Oregon’s cleanest round of the tournament. She shot even-par 70 with 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey. After making her lone bogey on No. 6, An immediately answered with a birdie on No. 7 and closed the round with 11 consecutive pars.
That moved her into a tie for ninth individually at 1 over, six shots behind USC’s Bailey Shoemaker entering the final round.
As a team, Oregon shot 11-over 291 and remained seventh at 21-over par.
Annika Ishiyama had the Ducks’ next-best round Saturday with a 2-over 72. Her card was more volatile than An’s, with a team-high five birdies offset by five bogeys and a double bogey. Tsuru shot 4-over 74, while Chung rounded out the counting scores with a 5-over 75. Chung also delivered Oregon’s highlight of the round with an eagle on the par-4 seventh hole.
Sunday Slide Drops Oregon to Ninth
The Ducks needed a strong final round to climb the leaderboard, but birdies were hard to come by Sunday. Oregon’s five-player lineup combined for only six birdies, and the four counting scores played the front nine at 8 over and the back nine at 9 over.
Oregon closed with a 17-over 297, its highest round of the tournament.
An remained Oregon’s top individual finisher, tying for 20th at 8 over for the week. But a rough start on Sunday, including a 5-over opening stretch through the first four holes, led to a final-round 77.
Chung and Han each shot 3-over 73 in the final round, while Ishiyama added a 4-over 74.
The result was not the finish Oregon wanted at the conference championship, especially after winning the Big Ten title last season. Still, the Ducks’ national profile remains strong, and their season will continue.
Oregon will learn its NCAA Regional destination during the selection show on Golf Channel at 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, April 29.
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
9. Oregon — 290-291-297 — 878 (+38)
T-20. Tong An — 71-70-77 — 218 (+8)
T-25. Darae Chung — 72-75-73 — 220 (+10)
T-36. Annika Ishiyama — 76-72-74 — 222 (+12)
T-42. Sophie Han — 73-78-73 — 224 (+14)
T-50. Karen Tsuru — 74-74-77 — 225 (+15)
