HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. – The Oregon women’s golf team is tied for the lead through 18 holes at the 2025 Big Ten Championships after firing a 2-under 286 on Friday at Bulle Rock Golf Course, and sophomore Ting-Hsuan Huang is the individual leader following a 3-under 69.
The No. 5 Ducks will enter Saturday’s second round tied with Illinois for first place at 2-under par, followed by No. 14 Ohio State (E) in third and No. 24 Michigan State (+4) in fourth. No. 12 Northwestern and Wisconsin round out the top five in a tie for fifth at 5 over.
Huang holds a one-stroke lead on the field, with four players tied for second at 2 under. Sophomore Kiara Romero is tied for fifth after a 1-under 71, and sophomore Darae Chung is tied for 10th following an even-par 72. Chung was a late substitute to Oregon’s lineup after sophomore Karen Tsuru was scratched shortly before the round due to injury.
“Good start for the Ducks today,” head coach Derek Radley said. “There can be some nerves when you get into these championship settings and I thought our team handled themselves very well, especially with this being our first Big Ten Championships. Tiffany was dialed in all day long and really gave us a big boost with a low round, and Kiara continues to be just as steady and reliable as they come. Really impressed with Darae stepping in as a late substitute and giving us the round that she did. We’ve been saying all year how important the depth on this team is and that really showed today.”
How it Happened: The first Duck on the course as the No. 5 player in the lineup, Huang set the tone from the get-go. She birdied each of her first two holes and added birdies at No. 6 and No. 8 to fuel a 4-under 32 on the front nine, making the turn in a tie for the individual lead. She made her only two bogeys of the day on the back nine, but added a fifth birdie at No. 14 to finish with a 3-under 69 and end the day as the solo leader.
Huang’s 69 was her third sub-70 round of the season and fourth of her career. Her five birdies are tied with Romero and Chung for the second-most in the field through 18 holes.
Romero matched Huang with four birdies on the front, including on two of her first three holes, but made one bogey to make the turn at 3 under. She had three bogeys and one birdie on the back nine and the winds picked up later in the day, finishing with a 1-under 71 for her team-leading 18th par-or-better round of the season.
Playing in just her 10th round of the season, Chung was 3 over through her first five holes before catching fire with four birdies in a six-hole stretch to get under par. She was 1 under through 17 holes before finishing with a bogey, but still was able to card her second straight par-or-better round after closing the Silverado Showdown with a 1-under 71 last week.
Freshman Tong An rounded out the counting scores with a 2-over 74, leading the team with 16 pars while making a pair of bogeys.
Team Standings (top five):
T1. #5 Oregon — 286 (-2)
T1. Illinois — 286 (-2)
3. #14 Ohio State — 288 (E)
4. #24 Michigan State — 292 (+4)
T5. #10 Northwestern — 293 (+5)
T5. Wisconsin — 293 (+5)
Ducks on the Leaderboard:
1. Ting-Hsuan Huang — 69 (-3)
T5. Kiara Romero — 71 (-1)
T10. Darae Chung — 72 (E)
T28. Tong An — 74 (+2)
T35. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham — 75 (+3)
Notable: Oregon is playing in its first Big Ten Championship but has finished in the top three in each of its last three conference tournaments under Radley, including winning the Pac-12 title in 2022 … Romero now owns 42 par-or-better performances in 54 career rounds as a Duck … Romero has shot par-or-better in 12 of her last 13 rounds for Oregon … Oregon leads the field in par-5 scoring at 2 under and is second with 18 total birdies … Romero is tied for the low score on par-3s at 2 under.
Up Next: The Ducks will tee off of hole No. 1 beginning at 7:10 a.m. PT in Saturday’s second round.
