Improvement Comes too Late as the Jayhawks Finish 11th at the Johnie Imes Invitational
Oct. 4, 2011
Final Results 
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Kansas’ women’s golf team finished in 11th place at the Johnie Imes Invitational on Tuesday. The Jayhawks ended the tournament with a score of 922, including a first and second round score of 313 and 302, respectively and a third round score of 307. Kansas finished 43 strokes behind tournament winner Texas State.
The Jayhawks saw considerable improvement from the first round to the second round. Head Coach Erin O’Neil sees progress with her young squad and knows they can perform well based on their recovery.
“We definitely saw progress this week in regards to bettering our course management and short games,” Coach O’Neil said. “However, the players still have room to improve and we will therefore continue focusing on those two areas in practice between now and our next tournament. Unfortunately, our first round is where we lost some ground and we were not able to recover enough even with an 11 shot improvement in the second 18.”
With three freshmen and two sophomores on this week’s lineup, the Jayhawks know they need to work even harder. Coach O’Neil knows that her group is young but she doesn’t feel like that should be what defines them as a team.
“We are definitely a young group but I don’t want us to use that as an excuse,” Coach O’Neil said. “The players have the ability to perform well. It is a matter of learning new shots, fine tuning our swings/short games, and keeping our focus on being mentally strong on the course.”
Sophomore Thanuttra Boonraksasat put her leadership role into place this week with three strong rounds of 77-75-75 for a total of 227 and finished in a tie for 27th. Her score of 227 is her second best score of the fall season with her best score coming at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational when she finished with a 221. Coach O’Neil has been very pleased with Boonraksasat’s performance so far this fall.
“Fhong had another consistent tournament and she has been solid as a rock for us so far this fall,” Coach O’Neil said. “Meghan Potee is also playing much better than her scores are reflecting right now and I think it is only a matter of time before she puts all the pieces together.”
Sophomore Meghan Potee finished in a tie for 36th with a score of 229. Her score of 229 is her best of the fall season and the second best as a Jayhawk. She shot a 78 and 75 on Monday and concluded the tournament with a 76.
Freshman Nadia Luttner tied for 45th with a three-day total of 231, while fellow freshman Gabriella DiMarco (241) and Michelle Woods (241) both tied for 72nd. Woods shaved off 12 strokes from her first round score of 85 to finish with a 73 on Monday. Competing as an individual, Audrey Yowell tied for 67th with scores of 79-82-78—239.
Kansas has the ability to make improvements this season and Coach O’Neil believes hard work will come into play for the rest of the season.
“Ability will only get us so far,” Coach O’Neil said. “We will have to work harder than everyone else to meet our goals for the remainder of the season.”
The Jayhawks will have a little over a week off to practice before heading to Norman, Okla., for the Susie Maxwell Invitational October 16-18. The tournament will be hosted by Oklahoma at the Jimmy Austin OU Golf Club.
Team Results
1. Texas State 294-291-294–879
2. Kansas State 299-300-287–886
3. Florida International 303-293-297–893
4. Colorado State 308-296-296–900
5. Arkansas-Little Rock 302-298-301–901
11. Kansas 313-302-307–922
Individual Results
1. Lejan Lewthwaite, Texas State 74-71-67–212
2. Krista Puisite, Texas State 72-70-73–215
3. Brianna Cooper, Illinois State 70-72-74–216
T4. Gianna Misenhelter, Kansas State 71-76-70–217
T4. Iman Nordin, Texas State 73-70-74–217
Kansas Individuals
T27. T. Boonraksasat 77-75-75–227
T36. Meghan Potee 78-75-76–229
T45. Nadia Luttner 77-79-75–231
T67. Audrey Yowell 79-82-78–239
T72. Gabby DiMarco 81-79-81–241
T72. Michelle Woods 85-73-83–241
