Pac-10 Golf | UCLA's Joh wins playoff

UCLA sophomore Tiffany Joh isn't a drama major but she made the 18th green at Broadmoor Golf Club her private stage Wednesday.

First, she sank an uphill 21-foot birdie putt, forcing a playoff with Arizona State freshman Anna Nordqvist for the Pac-10 individual title.

Thirty-five minutes later, Joh returned to the green for the second playoff hole and sank a 15-foot birdie putt to win the conference title.

Joh, the 2006 U.S. Public Links champion, said when she stood over what proved to be the tying putt she was thinking about payback.

"I honestly felt maybe the golf course owes me one because I had been missing them all day," she said.

Joh, a San Diego native who was Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year last season, had seen plenty of Nordqvist before the tournament got under way. She had been using a photo of the Swede as the screensaver on her computer.

"She is just someone that is such a great player and I wouldn't have honestly thought that I had a chance today," Joh said. "A few things just didn't go her way."

The title match provided the day's drama as Arizona State ran away with the team title, its first since 1996.

The Sun Devils had a 54-hole total of 897 strokes for four golfers, 33 above par.

UCLA, seeking its fourth consecutive title, was 18 strokes back at 915. USC was third at 921.

Washington started the day in fifth place but sank to seventh and is in grave danger of not making it to an NCAA regional for the first time since 1991.

"We put ourselves in a bad position all year," said UW coach Mary Lou Mulflur. "We just didn't play very well this year, but we have nobody to blame but ourselves."

Last year, UW senior Paige Mackenzie won the Pac-10 individual title and the Huskies finished sixth at the league tournament. UW went on to finish sixth at the NCAAs.

On Wednesday, the top Husky was freshman Christina Yoon, who shot a final-round 77 to tie for 11th at 229. UW senior Amber Prange started the day in fourth after opening 75-73 but soared to 10-over 82.

Washington's two other scores were a 78 by Molly Boyle and an 80 by Molly Aronsson.

Washington State finished eighth at 944.

Nordqvist started the day with a four-stroke lead over Joh but shot a 6-over 78. Joh shot 2-over 74 to tie it at 218.

Nordqvist double-bogeyed the par-3 seventh and 12th holes but still had ample opportunity to win because Joh bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17.

Nordvquist got a gigantic break on the first playoff hole, No. 10, when her drive bounced along the cartpath and stopped on the fairway, 277 yards from the tee. She routinely was outdriven by Joh, who is only 5 feet 6, 140 pounds. Nordvquist missed a 15-foot birdie putt that would have won the tournament.

Joh's birdie 4 on the next hole decided the title.

"It's golf," Nordvquist said philosophically of the disappointing defeat, which was softened by the fact she was named both Pac-10 Player of the Year and newcomer of the year at the awards ceremony following the tournament.

Men's championship

USC captured the team and medalist honors at the conference tournament at Eugene Country Club in Oregon. The Trojans fired a 344 as a team for a four-round total of 1,389, 36 strokes ahead of UCLA.

Jamie Lovemark of USC shot a final-round 67 to finish 19-under par at 269. Arizona State's Niklas Lemke was second with a 275.

UW finished fifth after firing a 1,453. WSU was 10th at 1,484.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com