DALLAS – Kansas graduate senior Esme Hamilton shot an even-par 72 and finished tied for ninth, earning all-tournament honors at the 2023 Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship at the Dallas Athletic Club on Sunday. As a team, Kansas finished eighth at the event.
Hamilton birdied her first two holes Sunday and was 2-under at the turn. She carded three birdies in her final round. Finishing in the top 10 with a three-round 218 (+2), Hamilton made the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team. Hamilton marks the 10th time a Jayhawk has been named to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team and the first since Yitsen Chou in 2017 (see list below).
KU sophomore Jordan Rothman saved her best round of the tournament for Sunday with a 1-over 73 that included four birdies. Fellow sophomore Lauren Clark also posted four birdies and shot a 76 (+4). Clark’s three-round 233 (+7) had her finish tied for 21st in the 45-golfer field. Sophomore Johanna Ebner (79) and super senior Abby Glynn (80) rounded out the KU scoring for the final round.
In a nine-team field that featured seven teams ranked in the Golfstat top 50, the No. 50 Jayhawks ended Sunday with a 300 (+12) and a three-round 899, which was 19 shots ahead of ninth-place Kansas State.
No. 23 Oklahoma State won the Big 12 Championship with a three-round 868 (+4), seven shots ahead of runner-up and 13th-ranked Baylor at (875). Oklahoma State’s Maddison Hinson-Tolchard took medalist honors with a three-round 212 (-4), one shot ahead of runner-up Pimkwan Chookaew of Iowa State (213).
Kansas will look to continue its season as NCAA Regional selections, a total of 72 teams, will be announced Wednesday, April 26, at noon CT on the GOLF Channel. Should KU be selected, it would mark just the third time KU has participated in the NCAA Championship as a team. Prior to NCAA Regional play, KU was an NCAA Championship automatic qualifier in 1990 by winning the Big Eight Conference Tournament. In 2014, Kansas was an NCAA Regional at-large selection. The 2014 Jayhawks finished fifth at the NCAA Regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and advanced to the NCAA Championship in Tulsa.
Kansas’ All-Time Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Selections (Top 10 finish)
T7. Amanda Costner (2004)
1. Amanda Costner (2007)
T6. Megan Gockel (2009)
T10. Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (2013)
T2. Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (2014)
4. Pornvipa Sakdee (2015)
T5. Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (2015)
T5. Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (2016)
T9. Yitsen Chou (2017)
T9. ESME HAMILTON (2023)
