Kansas Women's Golf Heads to Las Cruces, N.M., Oct. 8-10
Oct. 5, 2012
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off its first tournament win of the season, the Kansas women’s golf team will compete at the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Intercollegiate hosted by New Mexico State University Oct. 8-10.
Kansas will be one of 13 teams, 10 individuals, that will play in an 18-hole format each day (54-hole total), at the NM State Golf Course (par 72, yardage 6,319) in Las Cruces, N.M.
Kansas won its last event, claiming the eighth annual Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational, Sept. 24-25, at Alvamar Golf Course in Lawrence, Kan. Behind KU junior Thanuttra “Fong” Boonraksasat’s runner-up individual finish, the Jayhawks won the 13-team event shooting a three-round 906 (+42), which was 21 strokes better than runner-up Arkansas State (927), with Big 12 foe Kansas State finishing third at 928. Boonraksat shot a three-round 221 (+5) on the par 72 course, while teammates Yupaporn “Mook” Kawinpakorn (223, +7) and Gabby DiMarco (228, +12) finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
“It was a great confidence booster for us,” KU head coach Erin O’Neil said of the Marilynn Smith title. “The girls played real consistent and studied throughout all three rounds. I know it definitely boosted their confidence and they are looking forward to this next tournament.”
For the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Intercollegiate Kansas will have its same lineup as its first two fall events with Boonraksat, freshman Kawinpakom, sophomore DiMarco, junior Meghan Potee and senior Audrey Yowell. At the Marilynn Smith, Potee finished tied for 22nd with a 237 (+21), while Yowell shot a 236 (+20) to tie for 18th. Freshman Ann Kathrin Wuensch will also make the trip and play as an individual in Las Cruces. In her only event of the fall she shot a three-round 241 (+25) and tied for 38th at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational as an individual.
“I’ve seen a lot of great effort from everybody. The work ethic has been great,” O’Neil said. “Fong, Mook, Gabby, Meghan have all come in real strong and Audrey too. They all have come in strong and prepared and have the attitude that we need to accomplish our goals.”
Through two events this fall, Boonraksat leads Kansas with a 74.0 stroke average per 18 holes, just ahead of Kawinpakom’s 75.3 and DiMarco’s 76.0. Potee shoots 77.2 per round, while Yowell is at 78.5 for the Jayhawks. Wuensch has an 80.3 average in her three rounds this year.
“We’ve been continuing to focus on our short game – putting, chipping, pitching. Then also the mental side of our games to make those even stronger,” O’Neil added of the team’s work since its last event.
Teams in the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Intercollegiate include: Boise State, Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, host New Mexico State, North Texas, Utah Valley University, UTEP and Washington State. Live tournament coverage will be available on Golfstat at www.golfstat.com.
“Continuing with what we had going,” O’Neil said about what it will take for Kansas to be successful next week in New Mexico. “Keeping our scores around 300 or better, making a lot of birdies, have fun, keep it in the fairway and stick to our game plan. If we have some bumps along the way, keep it strong and work to get it back.”
Following the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Intercollegiate, KU will then compete at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic in Norman, Okla., Oct. 15-17. The Jayhawks will close out the fall season at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, S.C., Oct. 28-29.
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