PITTSBURGH – The Illinois women’s golf team captured the first Big Ten title in program history by carding a final round 287 (+3) to finish the tournament at 13-over, backed by Crystal Wang firing an incredible 9-under 62 to finish at 12-under, earning medalist honors. The Fighting Illini’s overall score of 865 is the sixth-lowest score by a winning team in a 54-hole championship.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said head coach Renee Slone. “Honestly, I’m still soaking it all in. The team played hard start to finish and it was a total team effort. Everybody contributed and I’m just very proud of their energy, effort and resilience throughout the year.”
“Crystal was just doing Crystal stuff. She was in her own little world and as far as the shots that I saw, it was very impressive. She did a really good job of staying present and being in the moment. She saved her best for today and really brought it. She was the key component to our success.”
Wang became the first Illini since head coach Slone (formerly Heiken) in 1993 to win the Big Ten crown, doing so in completely dominant fashion. Not only does her score of 9-under match the program record for lowest round, her 62 is the lowest round at any conference tournament, while also besting the Big Ten Championship low round by one stroke. Wang’s overall score of 201 (-12) is the lowest 54-hole score at the Big Ten Championships, breaking the previous record by four strokes.
Wang got off to a blistering start, collecting birdies on the first four holes and in five of the first seven. The Diamond Bar, Calif, native didn’t slow down on the back, picking up five birdies on holes 10-15 to give her a total of nine birdies on the day.
“I started off with a couple birdies and that built my confidence,” Wang said. “I hit a lot of greens and I was able to make most putts within 15 feet, which helps a lot. I just continued to stay present and be where I’m at.”
“When I finished, I was kind of nervous on my last hole. Once I made the putt for par…I could just here my teammates cheering, then I knew we won. Once I heard confirmation that we won, I just felt like everything we’ve worked on this past year, all the ups and downs, it was worth it.”
The graduate student was the only golfer in the field to finish under par, winning by 12 strokes. She led the…
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