Ruffels Set To Defend U.S. Amateur Title

U.S. Amateur Links and Results

USC rising senior Gabriela Ruffels is set to defend her 2019 title at the 2020 U.S. Amateur at the Woodmont C.C. in Rockville, Md., starting Monday (Aug. 3) and will be joined by five fellow Trojans, all in pursuit of the Robert Cox Trophy that Ruffels hoisted a year ago.
 
Ruffels, who two weeks ago was the first female entry in the 59 years of the Jacksonville Amateur, will try to become the first woman to win back-to-back U.S. Amateur titles since Danielle Kang in 2010-11.
 
Among Ruffels challengers are her 2020-21 teammates seniors Allisen Corpuz and Alyaa Abdulghany, junior Malia Nam and incoming freshmen Brianna Navarrosa and Christine Wang.
 
USC's six golfers accounts are the most of any school in the 132-golfer tournament. It is the fourth appearance each for Abdulghany and Corpuz. Corpuz reached the round of 16 last year and earlier in July, she was the runner-up to Rachel Kuehn in the North & South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst Resort.
 
The schedule (Aug. 3-9) features 18 holes Monday and Tuesday followed by the match play round of 64 Wednesday, rounds of 32 and 16 Thursday, quarterfinals Friday, semifinals Saturday and the 36-hole final Sunday.
 
Golf Channel will broadcast the event starting Wednesday (4-7 p.m. ET) with the same window Thursday covering the round of 16. It will air the quarterfinals Friday (1-4 p.m. ET), semifinals Saturday (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET) and the final Sunday (1-4 p.m. ET).
 
A year ago, Ruffels joined fellow Trojans Jennifer Song (2009), Becky Lucidi (2002) and Jill McGill (1993) as U.S. Am winners when she defeated Stanford rival Albane Valenzuela, 1-up, in the 36-hole final at Old Waverly G.C. in West Point, Miss.
 
Ruffels will begin her title defense with a 7:42 a.m. tee time Monday. She will be followed by Navarrosa (8:03 a.m.), Nam (10:10 a.m.), Corpuz (11:52 a.m.) Wang (12:13 p.m.) and Abdulghany (1:47 p.m.). All times ET.