An's 64 Powers Ducks To Early Lead - University of Oregon Athletics

GRANBURY, Texas – Oregon women's golf junior Tong An was dominant in the opening round of the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate on Monday, racing out to a four-stroke lead with a career-best 8-under 64 at Halbert National.

Behind An, the No. 6 Ducks fired a 12-under 276 to take a three-stroke lead on the nine-team field going into Tuesday's second round.

An was bogey-free with an astounding eight birdies, including five on the back nine and three straight between holes 13-15. Her 8-under 64 is tied for the third-lowest individual round in Oregon history and set a new tournament record.

"Unbelievable day for AT," head coach Derek Radley said. "She has been so dialed in all fall but took it to even another level here today. She executed her plan all day long and hit some really good golf shots. She's doing a great job of leading this team and has us off to a good start. Excited to see how she and the rest of our team build on this tomorrow and Wednesday."

How it Happened: Oregon's four counting scorers all shot par-or-better, led by An's 64. Sophomore Shyla Singh and freshman Celina Yeo both fired 2-under 70s to tie for fifth overall through 18 holes, and freshman Prim Prachnakorn is tied for 13th after carding an even-par 72.

An started hot and never looked back, making birdie on No. 1 to kick off her round. She made five straight pars before adding birdies at No. 7 and No. 9 to make the turn at 3 under.

Another birdie at No. 10 gave her three in a four-hole stretch, and then she ripped off three in a row between 13-15 to get to 7 under. An reached the par-5 18th hole in two shots and narrowly missed an eagle putt before tapping in for birdie to cap the best round of her career.

Singh also opened with a birdie and was 1 under at the turn before a bogey at No. 12 brought her back to even, but she made birdie at No. 15 and No. 18 to come in at 2 under.

Yeo was 1 under at the turn before a bogey at No. 11, but she too finished strong with birdies at No. 14 and No. 18. All four counting Ducks made birdie at No. 18, including Prachnakorn who shot 2 under on the back nine to finish at even par.

Ducks on the Leaderboard:
1. Oregon - 276 (-12)
1. Tong An - 64 (-8)
T5. Shyla Singh - 70 (-2)
T5. Celina Yeo - 70 (-2)
T13. Prim Prachnakorn - 72 (E)
T28. Trinity Beth - 75 (+3)

Notable: An's eight birdies are the most in the field and she leads all players in par-4 (-4) and par-5 (-4) scoring ... Yeo's 14 pars are tied for most in the field ... Oregon leads the field in birdies (23) and par-4 scoring (-4).

Up Next: Oregon will tee off in round two of the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate beginning at 9:35 a.m. PT on Tuesday, starting at hole No. 10. Golf Channel will have live coverage beginning at 1 p.m.