University of Oregon
Big Ten Championship
Romero Tied For Lead, Ducks In Second Entering Final Round
04/19/25 | Women's Golf
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. - The Oregon women's golf team will enter the final round of the 2025 Big Ten Championships in second place and three strokes back of the lead after posting a 2-over 290 in Saturday's second round at Bulle Rock Golf Course.
The No. 5 Ducks were led by a 2-under 70 from sophomore Kiara Romero, who sits in a three-way tie for the individual lead at 3-under par for the weekend.
No. 24 Michigan State leads the field at 3 under, with Oregon three strokes back in second at even par. Illinois is in third place at 2-over par, followed by No. 14 Ohio State (+6), No. 10 Northwestern (+8) and Wisconsin (+8).
"Not quite as clean of a round for us today, but I'm proud of our team for hanging in there through some really strong winds as the day went on, "head coach Derek Radley said. "Really good day for Kiara to go low and lead us through that round. We're right there in the hunt and I'm excited to see what we're able to do with this opportunity tomorrow."
How it Happened: The Ducks entered Saturday's second round as the co-leaders with Illinois after firing a 2-under 286 on Friday. Oregon's opening round was fueled by 10 birdies from its four counting scorers on the front nine, but UO managed just five birdies on the front nine in round two. The Ducks bounced back with nine birdies on the back nine, compared to five on Friday, to keep themselves in the team hunt.
Romero opened her round with eight straight pars before closing the front nine with her first birdie of the day. She bounced back from a bogey at No. 10 with a birdie at No. 11 and was 1 under through 17 holes before closing her day with a birdie at No. 18.
The No. 5 ranked amateur in the world, Romero will go into Sunday's final round in a three-way tie for the individual lead with Michigan State's Brooke Biermann and Illinois' Victoria Zheng. USC's Catherine Park is one stroke back at 2 under, and four players are tied for fifth at 1 under.
Freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham contributed a 1-under 71 on Saturday, bouncing back after not counting a 3-over 75 in round one. She was even par on the front nine before shooting 1 under on the back, including birdies at No. 11 and No. 15.
Freshman Tong An made a team-high six birdies, but was brought down by a pair of triple bogeys en route to a 2-over 74. Sophomore Darae Chung rounded out the counting scores with a 3-over 75.
Sophomore Ting-Hsuan Huang, who was the individual leader at 3 under after Friday, did not count towards Oregon's second-round score with a 5-over 77.
Team Standings (top five):
1. #24 Michigan State — 292-281 — 573 (-3)
2. #5 Oregon — 286-290 — 576 (E)
3. Illinois — 286-292 — 578 (+2)
4. #14 Ohio State — 288-294 — 582 (+6)
T5. #10 Northwestern — 293-291 — 584 (+8)
T5. Wisconsin — 293-291 — 584 (+8)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
T1. Kiara Romero — 71-70 — 141 (-3)
T22. Ting-Hsuan Huang — 69-77 — 146 (+2)
T22. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham — 75-71 — 146 (+2)
T30. Darae Chung — 72-75 — 147 (+3)
T37. Tong An — 74-74 — 148 (+4)
Notable: Oregon played once again without standout sophomore Karen Tsuru, who is in Maryland but dealing with an injury ... Chung played in Tsuru's spot in the lineup once again after making the trip as an alternate ... Vinijchaitham is 3 under so far on par-5 holes, tied for second-best in the field ... Romero is 2 under on par-3s, tied for third-best in the field ... Romero has nine total birdies this weekend, tied for most in the field ... Oregon has made 33 total birdies, tied with Ohio State for most in the field.
Up Next: The Ducks will look to claim their first Big Ten title on Sunday morning, teeing off in the final round beginning at 6:40 a.m. PT on hole No. 1.
Players Mentioned
