EUGENE, Ore. – Freshman Suvichaya Vinijchaitham was announced as the Big Ten Women’s Golfer of the Week on Thursday for her performance in Oregon’s dominant win at the Alice & John Wallace Classic earlier this week. Vinijchaitham claimed her first career tournament win while leading the Ducks to a 23-stroke victory over No. 3 USC. After sitting one stroke behind teammate Kiara Romero entering the final round, Vinijchaitham fired a 7-under 64 to win individual medalist honors by two strokes and secure the 41st individual tournament win in program history. A native of Khon Kaen, Thailand, Vinijchaitham finished the week with a 12-under 201, the second-lowest 54-hole total in Oregon history. Her 7-under 64 matched her career low – set earlier this month in the final round of the Therese Hession Regional Challenge – and tied for the second-lowest individual round in program history. Vinijchaitham has been terrific for the Ducks as a true freshman, ranking second behind Romero with a 71.31 scoring average while shooting par-or-better in nine of her first 16 rounds. She has shot in the 60s five times already, including each of her last four rounds after opening the Alice & John Wallace Classic with a 3-under 68 and a 2-under 69. Vinijchaitham’s individual win vaulted her up to No. 14 in the national Scoreboard individual rankings, and she is up to No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She is the first Duck to earn a weekly honor from the Big Ten. With Vinijchaitham leading the charge, the Ducks broke the program records for low team score across a 54-hole tournament with a 34-under 818, and their 18-under 266 in the final round shattered the program record of 12-under 272 they set in the final round of their spring opener. Oregon claimed its first team tournament win of the season, and ninth under head coach Derek Radley.
Now up to No. 3 in the national rankings, the Ducks will return to action on March 3-4 at the Juli Inkster Invitational in Fairfax, Calif.
