UO release – LOS ANGELES — Oregon women’s golf senior Briana Chacon set the 36-hole scoring record at the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur on Tuesday at Bel-Air Country Club, finishing with a 9-under 131 to claim stroke-play medalist honors. After opening with a stellar 4-under 66 in Monday’s opening round, Chacon was even better on Tuesday with a 6-under 65. A native of nearby Whittier, Calif., Chacon bested the previous scoring record of 133 set by Mariel Galdiano in 2016. “Wow, I did not know that,” Chacon said after learning of her scoring record. “It’s an honor and I’m just so thankful to be here this week with all my family and friends. I’m lucky that it’s so close to my hometown, so I’m just really excited.” Chacon started her day on the 10th hole and put together a bogey-free first nine holes, sinking birdies at holes 13, 14 and 16 to make the turn at 3-under par. Chacon stayed hot with an eagle on the par-5 first hole, and then bounced back from a bogey at No. 2 with her fourth birdie of the day at No. 5. The fifth-year senior finished with four straight pars, two-putting on No. 9 to secure the scoring record. Chacon will be the top seed when the 64-player match-play portion of the tournament begins on Wednesday. She’ll be joined by at least one more Duck, as incoming freshman Kiara Romero secured her spot in a tie for 11th overall after shooting a 2-under 138. Romero – who is coming off a win at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship – made five birdies for a 2-under 68 on Tuesday following an even-par 70 in the opening round. Fifth-year senior Ching-Tzu Chen will have an opportunity to join Chacon and Romero in match play. She tied for 56th overall at 4-over par, and will be part of a 10-player playoff for nine spots beginning at 7 a.m. PT on Wednesday morning. Senior Minori Nagano finished one stroke shy of making the playoff at 5-over par, and assistant coach Krissy Carman came in at 8-over par. Golf Channel will broadcast action from Wednesday beginning at 3 p.m.
