Sung’s Ace Leads Big Green on First Day in California

Monday, March 20

Pebble Beach, Calif. / Poppy Hils Golf Club

8:30 AM PDT

Dartmouth College

Poppy Hills Patriot Invitational

Junior Katherine Sung

Photo by: Alex Kirk

Sung’s Ace Leads Big Green on First Day in California

3/20/2023 10:19:00 PM | Women's Golf

Results (PDF)

Five Big Green golfers finished the day in the top 10

By: Rick Bender

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Junior Katherine Sung dropped an eagle in each of the first two rounds of the Poppy Hills Patriot Invitational — one being a hole-in-one — as she closed out the day tied atop the leaderboard to help the Dartmouth women's golf team to third place, just two strokes behind the leader, Cal State East Bay, and one behind the host school, Dallas Baptist.

The Big Green shot 291-289—580 (+12), setting program records for low score in a single round (by one stroke) and for 36 holes by nine strokes, not to mention the best 36-hole score in relation to par.

Sung, playing in her first tournament since the fall, began the shotgun start of the first round on the fourth hole at the 5,930-yard, par-71 yard Poppy Hills Golf Club and got right to work with a birdie, followed by another on eight. When she sank her first eagle of the day on the 435-yard, par-5 ninth, she was 4-under par after just six holes. The back nine brought her back to even par with four bogeys, but one more birdie on her final hole left her with a 70 (-1).

In the afternoon, Sung started with another birdie on four, then aced the 141-yard par-3 sixth. Three bogeys and a double on 18 dropped her back, but with birdies on the first two holes on the course, she was back at even par in the round and wrapped the day with a 1-under 141, tying her with two others for the lead in the 81-player field.

Four other Big Green golfers finished in the top 10, though two — sophomore Claire Xu and senior Samantha Yao — were playing as individuals. Xu shot even par to tie for fourth, one stroke behind the leaders, while becoming the first golfer in program history to score 68 in a round with a 74-68—142 as she dropped four birdies in each of her two rounds. Yao, meanwhile, was the most consistent player for Dartmouth all day, collecting 26 pars and four birdies to finish in eighth with a 2-over 144.

Freshman Kim Shen had 14 pars and a pair of birdies in the first round to shoot a 1-over 72 before shaving two strokes off that total in the second round thanks to five more birdies. She ended the day tied for fourth with Xu at even par (142). Another freshman, Sophie Thai, tied for ninth at 3-over par, shooting par in the first round with four birdies before recording a 74 (+3) with two more birdies during her second 18.

Junior Penelope Tir contributed to the team score in both rounds as well, starting with a roller-coaster ride in the morning that featured four birdies as she carded a 78 (+7) before settling down after lunch with 12 pars and a birdie to shoot 74 (+3), tying for 27th at 10-over.

The third and final round will begin tomorrow morning with another shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.