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Oregon, Illinois Share Championship Lead After 18 Holes At Bulle Rock
Ducks' Huang atop individual leaderboard at -3, one shot clear of trio in pursuit
HAVRE de GRACE, Maryland -- The University of Oregon, paced by individual leader Ting-Hsuan Huang (-3), and University of Illinois are tied atop the team leaderboard after the first round of the 2025 Big Ten Women's Golf Championships hosted by Bulle Rock Golf Course.
The Fighting Illini were in the first groupings off No. 1 in the morning to get the competition started, while the Ducks were in the final pairings more than two hours later, but both ended the opening round in the same spot at 2-under par. The co-leaders wrapped round one two strokes ahead of Ohio State and six shots up on fourth-place Michigan State.
Playing in the leadoff spot for No. 5 ranked Oregon, Huang birdied No. 1 and No. 2 and reached the turn at four-under on her way to a 3-under 69. Teammate Kiara Romero, the No. 5 ranked individual in women's college golf, also carded four birdies on the front-nine and signed a 1-under 71 in her Big Ten Championships debut.
Illinois entered the tournament as one of the conference's hottest teams, capping the regular-season with a win at the Boilermaker Spring Classic on the heels of back-to-back runner-up results. With a balanced attack that included three players shooting even par, they were led in round one by Victoria Zheng's 2-under 70 highlighted by an eagle on the 366-yard, Par-4 No. 9. Zheng is just one stroke off the individual lead after 18 holes, tied with USC's Catherine Park and Wisconsin's Kate Brody.
Friday was a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-60's in northeast Maryland, but winds gusting from 10-25mph added a layer of complexity to an already rigorous test. Hosting the Big Ten Women's Golf Championships for a second consecutive year, Bulle Rock welcomed the first 18-team event in conference history with pristine conditions. The club's picturesque No. 18 turned out to be the most challenging hole of the day, with the finishing hole playing more than a half-stroke over par and surrendering just four birdies while forcing 44 bogeys and ten doubles on a 90-player field that features
Second round play is scheduled to begin at 8:30am ET on Saturday, April 19. Parking and admission at Bulle Rock are free for spectators all weekend. Big Ten Network will air live coverage of Sunday's final round from 1-4pm ET.