Malia Nam of the United States hits her tee shot on the fourth hole during the first round of the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship at Palos Verdes Golf Club on March 21, 2024 in Palos Verdes Estates, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
This week marks the third time Palos Verdes has hosted an LPGA event. Zhang is one of five past winners of the Therese Hession Regional Challenge in the field this week, joined by World No. 1 Lilia Vu (2018), Andrea Lee (2019), Lindy Duncan (2012) and Carlota Ciganda (2011).
There are 11 alums between UCLA and USC in the field. Rookie Malia Nam, who opened with a 65 on Thursday, said she’s played Palos Verdes over 100 times.
“It’s really nice that we were able to practice here,” said Nam. “We had a tournament here every year. I was able to play that when I was in college, so, yeah, it really helped today just knowing exactly what clubs I’m going to have in and how to prepare for this tournament as well.”
Players representing the Bruins this week include Alison Lee, Ryan O’Toole, Patty Tavatanakit and Vu. Former Trojans include major champions Sophia Popov and Allisen Corpuz, Gabriela Ruffels, Lizette Salas, Jennifer Song, Gabriela Then and Nam.
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Spanish