A year later, sophomore Mari Chun is picking up right where she left off at the Pacific-10 Conference women’s golf championships.

After finishing 11th in the 2006 Pac-10 Championships, Chun tied for second individually after yesterday’s 2007 first round, scoring a one-under-par 71. Her strong play on day one paced the No. 8 Stanford women’s golf team to a tie for fourth place with No. 15 Arizona (309; 21 over par). The field of 10 is currently led by top-ranked Arizona State (297; nine over par), followed by No. 6 Southern California (303) and No. 11 UCLA (305).

Senior Lauren Todd and freshman Angela King are currently tied for 23rd individually, each with a seven-over-par 79. Senior Jennifer Tangtiphaiboontana has yet to shake off her recent string of bad play, as she stands in 30th (80). Meanwhile, freshman Catherina Wang finished the first day of competition in 36th (83).

Arizona State’s Anna Nordqvist is currently leading the pack with a four-under-par 68. This is no surprise coming from the No. 2-ranked women’s collegiate player in the nation. Chun, at second, is sandwiched between Nordqvist and USC’s Paola Moreno, who finished the day with an even-par 72.

The Cardinal looks to continue its strong play during today’s second round, which tees off at 9 a.m. on the 6,196-yard Broadmoor Golf Club course in Seattle.