No. 2 USC is back on the road this week, heading to Wolcott, Colorado, for the Golfweek Red Sky Classic at Red Sky Golf Club.
The Trojans open the 54-hole event on Monday, Sept. 21 at 9:00 a.m. PT, and they’ll do it against a deep field of 19 teams.
Five of USC’s opponents are ranked in both Golfweek and Golf Channel’s preseason polls, and 11 teams in the field reached the NCAA postseason last year. Texas A&M, Pepperdine and LSU headline the opposition, with the Aggies checked in at No. 5 in Golfweek and No. 4 in Golf Channel, Pepperdine at No. 14 and No. 13, and LSU at No. 16 and No.
USC has reason to feel good about this stop. The Trojans won the Red Sky Classic last season with a team total of 819 (-45), a number that didn’t just win the tournament - it shattered records. USC’s final score beat the previous tournament mark by 13 shots, while the Women of Troy also set school records with a 21-under final round and a 45-under total for the week.
Four returners from that title team are back in Colorado: Elise Lee, Jasmine Koo, Kylie Chong and Sarah Hammett. Chong and Koo shared the individual crown last year, both finishing at 13 under par and matching the tournament’s individual record of 203. Lee tied for seventh at 8 under, and Hammett finished 11th at 5 under.
The Trojans arrive after a strong start to the season at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate two weeks ago. USC finished second in a loaded field and closed with a tournament-best 273 (-15) in the final round.
Every Trojan in the lineup finished inside the top 25, with sophomore Sarah Hammett leading the way. She placed fourth at 212 (-4), one of the top results of her college career.
It marked the second time she led USC in a tournament, and her 54-hole total was the best of her career. Hammett capped it with a final-round 67, which was one shot better than her previous collegiate best.
USC and champion Wake Forest were the only teams to have all five players land in the top 25. Bailey Shoemaker and Elise Lee tied for 11th at 216. Shoemaker posted rounds of 72-76-68 and finished even for the event, while Lee closed with a 70 (-2).
Jasmine Koo and Kylie Chong also delivered solid weeks. Koo finished at 1 over par 217 after opening with 73, then firing a 3-under 69 in round two before posting 75 in the final round to tie for 15th. Chong, after a rough start, rebounded with rounds of 72 and 68 over the final two days and piled up nine birdies across those 36 holes.
Kaili Xiao, the 2025 Women’s California Open champion who reclassified and signed with USC this past spring, will play in the fifth spot for the Trojans.
USC’s lineup for the week is Bailey Shoemaker, Jasmine Koo, Sarah Hammett, Kylie Chong and Kaili Xiao, with Elise Lee competing as an individual.
The Red Sky Golf Club Fazio Course plays to 6,376 yards and a par of 72. The format is 5-count 4, and live scoring will be available through Golfstat.
The field includes USC, Arizona, Ball State, Cal State Fullerton, Colorado, Denver, Eastern Michigan, East Tennessee State, Kansas, Little Rock, Louisiana-Monroe, LSU, Mercer, Miami (Florida), New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, UNC Asheville, Pepperdine, Texas A&M and UC Irvine.
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From there, the drive took a winding path, with USC failing on the replayed third down before going for it on fourth and eventually hitting a 32-yard completion to keep things moving. It was the sort of break-and-response sequence that can swing a road game, and the No. 12 Trojans made enough of those plays to leave New Jersey with a win and a 4-0 record. [Read more 🡒]
