Chou earns all-tournament honors, places eighth at Big 12 Championship

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – The Kansas women’s golf team concluded three rounds of play at the 2019 Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship on Tuesday, firing a 928 (+64) over three rounds to finish in seventh place. The Jayhawks posted a 311 (+23) on Tuesday to conclude the nine-team tournament.

Yi-Tsen Chou led the Jayhawks in the event, posting a three-round 227 (+11) to finish in tenth place out of the 45-player field. After a steady first two rounds with scores of 74 and 75, the junior shot 6-over 78 in the final round with a birdie to guide her into the top-ten in a three-way tie for eighth. Chou remained in the top-ten throughout the entirety of the tournament and finished with seven birdies total, earning her all-tournament honors.

Freshman Pear Pooratanaopa hit for par on 13 of her 18 holes  and tallied a 74 (+5) in the final round to finish tied in 19th place at 231 (+15). Her first-round 74 helped put her in good position over the next two rounds and she was second Jayhawk to finish in the top-20 for the event behind Chou.

Sophomore Sera Tadokoro improved nine strokes from Monday’s round, posting a 77 (+5). She finishes with a three-round 237 (+21) for a tie for 31st.

Senior Ari Fonseca Diaz couldn’t find her groove during the event, recording a 79 (+7) in the final round and finishing 237 (+21) which places her tied with Tadokoro. Fellow upperclassmen Chomchana “Cake” Phuchanbanchob shot 244 (+28) for the tournament and finished in a tie for 41st.

Overall, Kansas finished above No. 39 Iowa State (+65) and Kansas State (+75).

Women's Golf Ireland Trip Gallery No. 3
Women's Golf Ireland Trip Gallery No. 3

QUOTES
Head Coach Erin O’Neil
On the team’s play over three rounds:
“We had a strong start on the first day but then mentally we didn’t handle the windy conditions well the next two rounds. Unfortunately, we gave the majority of our shots away to the field on or around the greens.  You can’t blame the wind for that, and it’s an area that we have to improve upon before next year. ”

On Yi-Tsen’s steady play:
“Yi-Tsen was more like herself this week.  Mentally she was more relaxed and confident which was nice to see. She has a lower ball flight and she doesn’t normally have big misses which allowed her to not have any numbers to recover from during each round. We are proud of her for staying strong and adding another top 10 finish at Big 12’s.”

NOTABLES

  • This is Yi-Tsen Chou’s fifth top-ten finish of the year.
  • Chou previously finished in the top-ten at the 2016 Big 12 Championship, tying for ninth and posting scores of 72-73-77–222.
  • One of ten players named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team, Chou becomes only the fourth Jayhawk under head coach Erin O’Neil to recieve this honor.
  • Tadokoro ranked first in the field in par-3 scoring at 2-under 2.83.

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