It was a special week for those involved with the USC women’s golf team at the Women’s Western Amateur.
Sophomore Catherine Park won stroke play, earning the top seed for match play. However, it was Jasmine Koo, a 17-year-old Class of 2024 commit to the Trojans, who’s walking away with one of the oldest trophies, the W.A. Alexander Cup, in amateur golf. Koo beat Stanford rising senior Sadie Englemann 4 and 2 to capture the 123rd Women’s Western Amateur on Saturday at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville, Illinois.
“I came into the week not knowing what to expect, and to win the whole thing is such an honor,” Koo said. “This is the biggest win I’ve had, so I’ll always remember this week.”
Koo, 13th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, made six birdies in the championship match to etch her name on the W.A. Alexander Cup and become the first junior to win the Women’s Western Amateur since 2015.
She played 116 holes this week, finishing 27 under with 34 birdies and only seven bogeys. Koo, a rising high school senior, finished stroke play in third.
Held without interruption since its inception in 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.