The Stanford women’s golf team opened the 2006-2007 with a pair of top-10 finishes to get the campaign off to a good start.

The Cardinal opened the year with a second place finish at the Topy Cup at the Tangura Country Club in Tokyo, Japan. They led through the first two rounds of the event, but faltered on the final day to finish two strokes behind eventual-champion USC.

Senior Jennifer Tangiphaiboontana notched the Cardinal’s top individual finish with a three-round score of 219, which put her in a tie for second. Senior Lauren Todd and sophomore Mari Chun also finished in the top five. They tied for third, both tallying 222.

Tangiphaiboontana was also Stanford’s top finisher at last week’s Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. The Long Beach, Calif. native finished with a three-round 219, good enough for 16th place.

In the team competition, the Cardinal finished in sixth place, 20 strokes behind Duke. Like at the Topy Cup, the Cardinal closed with their weakest round of the weekend, dropping two spots on the final day.

The Cardinal are looking to make it back to the NCAA Championships after finishing 13th at last year’s event. The makeup of the team looks good for a repeat.

The Cardinal lost a pair of seniors from last year’s squad-Kelly Husted and Stephanie Lue — but return the rest of the team.

Four seniors are on the roster this year, under 11th-year head coach Caroline O’Connor. Tangtiphaiboontana, Jenna Seki, Lauren Todd and Saana Rapakko were all juniors on last year’s squad that competed for a national title.

In addition to the veterans returning, three freshmen will be welcomed to the team. Angela King, Ki-Shui Liao and Catherine Wang all join the team after successful high school careers. Liao has already made her presence felt, finishing 67th at the Mason Rudolph Championship.

Sophomore Mari Chun rounds out the squad. During the 2005-2006 season, Chun competed in 10 events with a pair of top-10 finishes.

Next up for Stanford is the Edean Ihlanfeldt in Sammamish, Wash. Oct. 9-11.