Santa Clara women’s golf finished last week’s University of Oklahoma Intercollegiate on a high note, closing the tournament with a final round of 4-under par to finish third overall at 2-under par. Chloe Lam ’28 led the Broncos’ strong final round push, shooting 5-under par to tie the program’s record for the lowest 18-hole score.
The result marked a strong showing for Santa Clara against a competitive field that included Eastern Michigan—one of the semifinalist teams at the 2025 NCAA Championship. The Broncos were one of three teams to finish the tournament under par.
Assistant coach Jett Isoda said the team’s preparation leading into the tournament was the key to their success.
“I think they just looked more confident,” Coach Isoda said. “We preach a lot that ‘every shot is a new shot,’ and they did that really well this week.”
Lam jumped to third place after finishing the first two rounds in a tie for eighth. She carded seven birdies, with two stretches of three birdies in a row, and just two bogeys, joining her teammate Kelsey Kim ’27 as one of the few Broncos to tie the 18-hole program record of 5-under par.
Head coach Krystal Kelly credited Lam’s impressive final round to her dedication and perseverance. “She’s developed so much in the last 2.5 years,” Kelly said. “She was rolling it really well, and she looked incredibly confident.”
Lam wasn’t the only player to go low this weekend. First-year Sehee Sim ’30 recorded a career-low score of 69 in the opening round, while Kim shot even par across all three rounds. Junior Amy Im ’28 made four birdies in a row and another one on the back nine to finish her final round 1-under par.
Both Im and Kim placed within the top 20, making it Kim’s 22nd career top-20 finish. Together, they finished 2-under par over 54 holes, tying for the third-lowest 54-hole score in program history. Assistant coach Isoda noted the team’s incredible depth throughout their lineup.
“We’ve got players one through eight that can really contribute to this program,” Isoda said. “When a player steps up and plays well, we’re never shocked because we know that every player we have on our roster can really make a difference for us.”
The Broncos look to carry this momentum into their final tournament of the fall season, the Stanford Intercollegiate, that kicks off Oct. 16. The stacked field includes the defending national champion Stanford, runner-up USC, semifinalist Eastern Michigan and quarterfinalist Pepperdine. This tournament will be a true test for the Broncos to see how they size up against some of the top competition in the nation.
But for Kelly, the main focus for the team is to embrace the process and experience.
“They deserve to be with these really good teams,” Kelly said. “I think at the end of the day, we just need to do what we do best.”