News
Cal's Kim, IU's Tong claim player-of-week honors
By__Ryan Herrington
COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Oct. 22-28
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__[#image: /photos/55ad717cadd713143b422def]|||Michael Kim headshot.jpeg|||
__Michael Kim, California
__The sophomore went wire-to-wire to claim medalist honors at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, his first college victory, while propelling the Golden Bears to their fifth team title of the fall.
After shooting an opening-round 67 at Isleworth CC in Windermere, Fla., Kim posted a second-round 72 to take a three-stroke lead into the final 18 holes. He maintain his advantage, although things got tight during the back nine. A three-shot lead with three holes to play dwindled to just one stroke after back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes. But Kim hit the 18th green in regulation from a fairway bunker 220 yards from the hole and two-putted from 20 feet for par to secure the individual title (over Alabama's Justin Thomas and New Mexico's James Erkenbeck) with a closing 73 and a four-under 212 total.
"I'm just really excited to win five in a row as a team and also my first college event," Kim said afterward.
*Honorable mention:
*Jon Rahm Rodriguez, Arizona State—Scores of 65 and 67 in the final two rounds of the Bill Cullum Invitational gave the freshman a three-stroke victory (12-under 204), making him the first Sun Devil rookie to win an individual title since 2008.
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WOMEN
__[#image: /photos/55ad717cb01eefe207f6810d]|||Elizabeth Tong headshot.jpeg|||
__Elizabeth Tong, Indiana
__For the second time this fall, the sophomore from Ontario, Canada, earned medalist honors, sharing the individual title at the Las Vegas Collegiate Shootout with Mississippi State's Ally McDonald after the pair shot two-under 214s at Stallion Mountain GC in Las Vegas.
During the final round, Tong posted a bogey-free 68, her low round of the 2012-13 season. Her score helped the Hoosiers grab the team title in the tournament, the squad's second victory of the fall semester, after starting the day in third place behind eventual runner-up UCF and host UNLV. IU shot 30-over 894 to outpace the Golden Knights by three strokes and the Running Rebels by four.
*Honorable mention:
*Marion Duvernay, Chattanooga
The junior from France won her first college title at the Lady Paladin Invitational with a three-over 219, tying her career best 54-hole score. She also helped the Lady Mocs claim the team title.