WOLCOTT, CO — Southern California assistant women's golf coach Beth Wu turned to head coach Justin Silverstein during the practice round Sunday at Red Sky Golf Club and made a statement.
"This is the best practice we've had fairway to green," Wu told Silverstein, who agreed. The Trojans took a different approach to the practice day, having players chart their yardages on every hole, how far clubs were flying and how much yardage was added to every club at elevation. Red Sky Golf Club's Fazio Course reaches just north of 8,000 feet of elevation at its highest point, the most elevation of any college golf event.
That additional preparation has paid off for USC in consecutive years. The Trojans successfully defended their title at the Golfweek Red
Sky Classic on Wednesday. After a record-setting appearance in 2025, USC did even better this year, setting a scoring record at 47 under, besting its mark from last year by two shots, and winning by 14 shots over Miami.
"We have to take the work we're doing here and do it at normal tournament, too," Silverstein said. "We're always doing the advance work, but the on-site attention to detail is turned up here."
Silverstein said because of the elevation, which can add up to 15 percent yardage for clubs in the top end of the bag, he believes players have more fear that if they are unprepared, they won't be able to conquer the course.
USC began the week where it left off last year, breaking the single-round scoring record with a 22-under performance. Throughout Wednesday's final round, the Trojans flirted with becoming the fourth team to finish at 50 under par (or better) in NCAA history, but a 47-under total is nothing too shabby, either.
Jasmine Koo, who was a co-medalist with teammate Kylie Chong in 2025, placed T-3 after closing in 66 on Wednesday. Sophomore Sarah Hammett finished T-5, including a 65 in Tuesday's second round. Chong placed T-10, and freshman Kaili Xiao, making her collegiate debut, opened with a 65 and finished T-15.
Another change USC has made this year is using Eduardo Molinari's Arccos insights, which gives players data from every shot in every round. For every tournament round, the players have additional data for each hole that allows them to make smarter decisions.
Silverstein is one of the most data-driven coaches in college golf, but that approach has helped his teams dominate the Red Sky Classic two years in a row.
"The data is great to see and look at, especially after rounds," Hammett said. "Having those stats and being able to reflect, especially if you think in the moment wasn't going as well, helps show us what we're doing well and what we can improve on."
USC bested Miami by 14 shots while Texas A&M and Pepperdine tied for third. Miami's Scarlett Schremmer won the individual title at 17 under, setting a tournament scoring record.
But the data-driven approach is working for the Trojans, and it resulted in hauling home more trophies from the Rocky Mountains.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: USC's data-driven approach fuels another record Red Sky Classic title in Colorado
