BROKEN ARROW, Okla. - Rutgers junior Truong put herself in the mix on Monday at the Route 66 Invitational honoring Dale McNamara, closing the day tied for ninth after a sharp second-round 2-under-par 70 at The Golf Club of Oklahoma.
That afternoon surge was the big swing for the Scarlet Knights, who finished the opening day of their final team event of the fall in fifth place out of 16 teams at 22-over-par 598. Rutgers opened with a 305 and answered with a 293 in the second round, moving up two spots on the team leaderboard and posting the fourth-lowest second-round score in the field.
Truong’s round was one of the cleanest of the day anywhere in the tournament. She moved 19 places up the board during the afternoon session and is now five shots behind the co-leaders, Anna Brehm of Coastal Carolina and Zoe Shamy of Tulsa, who are both at three under entering Tuesday’s final round.
Play is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.
She wasn’t the only Scarlet Knight making a push in Round 2. Junior Judy Amano and senior Lorena Rossettin also climbed the leaderboard, helping Rutgers recover after a slower morning. Amano moved up 35 spots and Rossettin jumped 24, with both giving Rutgers valuable low numbers when it needed them.
Head coach Kari Williams pointed to the response in the second round, saying, "We did a good job bouncing back in the afternoon round," said head coach Kari Williams. "This course has a handful of scoring opportunities that we need to keep taking advantage of.
Our biggest challenge is cleaning up our mistakes and not letting holes get away from us. For the final round, we need to play smart and come out from the first shot ready to compete hard."
The numbers behind Rutgers’ day told the same story. Five Scarlet Knights combined for 20 birdies over the two rounds, with Truong leading the way with seven, tied for sixth-most in the field. Rossettin added five, Amano and senior Emily James had three apiece, and redshirt senior Grace Lu contributed two.
Truong’s 70 was one of just 12 under-par rounds in the entire field. She burst out fast with four birdies over her first five holes, then settled in with nine pars on the back nine to finish the round strong.
Amano nearly went wire-to-wire without a blemish in the second round, staying bogey-free until the second-to-last hole on her way to an even-par 72. She backed that up with 15 pars and two birdies. Rossettin also gave Rutgers a lift with three birdies in the second round, finishing at 1-over-par 73.
Rutgers’ morning work was less explosive, but Lu set the tone with a 3-over-par 75 and four birdies across her first 18 holes. James and Truong each opened with 4-over-par 76s, and both had three birdies in the first round.
Rossettin carded a 6-over-par 78, while Amano posted a 9-over-par 81. Rossettin finished the opening round with two birdies over her last nine holes.
Tulsa leads the tournament at 1-over-par 577, with Georgia Southern at 9-over and Coastal Carolina at 12-over.
Rutgers will next send individuals to the Lehigh Invitational from Oct. 26-27 in Bedminster, N.J.
In Other News...
Rutgers Faces An Early Reality Check After Its Big Ten Breakthrough
Rutgers heads into Friday night with a little momentum after earning its first Big Ten win, but the reward for that breakthrough is a steep road test at No. 24 Northwestern. The Wildcats are 5-1 and have built their resume on defense, while also leaning on quarterback Aidan Chiles and a backfield featuring Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II to keep opponents from settling in.
The matchup also comes with a bigger-stage feel, with the Knights traveling to Northwestern's new Ryan Field for the Oct. 24 game. It is the kind of spot that quickly shows whether Rutgers can turn one milestone into something more durable, and fans will be able to follow along live on Peacock. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Mens Golf Showed The Fight Scarlet Knights Fans Wanted
Rutgers mens golf team closed the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational with a burst that looked a lot more like the resolve the Scarlet Knights have been chasing. The final round produced their best score of the tournament, a 17-under 271, and it came at the right time for a group that had been sitting in 11th before making its move up the board.
Sophomore Lucas Politano set the tone with a 6-under 66, finishing tied for 11th overall and giving Rutgers a front-line score it could build around. Minnesota took the team title, while Memphis Yixiang Wang earned medalist honors, but Rutgers closing round offered a reminder that the lineup can still turn a quiet week into something worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Showed Real Promise But One Problem Still Looks Familiar
Rutgers gave Brandon Knight plenty to like in a wild exhibition against St. Johns, even in a 104-99 loss that stretched to four overtimes. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first half and showed the kind of offensive flow that can make a team look dangerous early, but the game also offered a blunt reminder that preseason promise is only part of the equation.
As the night wore on, the same issues that can derail a game in November started to surface again, with the Red Storm turning up the pressure and Rutgers having trouble matching it in the closing stretches. Knight pointed to the need for more physicality and better decision-making when the game gets tight, and while the scoring punch was real, the late-game control still looks like the piece Rutgers has to find. [Read more 🡒]