⛳️ Heinlein Sets a KU 54-Hole Record Shooting a 206 (-10) at Lone Star Invitational
HUMBLE, Texas – Coming off a 65 (-7) on Monday, Kansas sophomore Lauren Heinlein kept her momentum going and shot a final round 68 (-4) to finish second at the Lone Star Invitational at the Golf Club of Houston Tuesday. Heinlein’s three-round score of 206 (-10) establishes a new Kansas women’s golf 54-hole record.
“Going into today there was a lot of nerves,” Heinlein said. “I always am nervous going into any round of golf, but today especially. I’m just super thankful to get the nerves shaken off early in the round and build off the momentum of yesterday.”
Heinlein shot an opening round 73 (+1) and her -10 for the tournament was four shots behind medalist Maria Jose Martinez of Houston. A native of Ocala, Florida, Heinlein’s 206 surpasses junior teammate Sera Tadokoro’s 208 at the Louisville Cardinal Cup, Oct. 18-20, 2019, on the Kansas 54-hole record list. KU All-America Yupaporn Kawinpakorn is third with a 209 at the Texas Tech Invitational in 2016.
“To set a new record at KU is amazing, I can’t even begin to find the words of how thankful I am for everyone who has supported me throughout this whole process,” Heinlein said. “It’s such a big confidence booster and just shows that the hard work is paying off. I’m super excited to see how this team competes in conference later this week and to see my growth as well.”
“We are so very proud of Lauren’s play this week and excited about her setting a new school record,” KU head coach Erin O’Neil said. “She handled herself with poise and maturity throughout each round even though there were definitely some nerves to manage. It would have been easy to let expectations get pretty high going into the final round today, but you could tell she had a game plan and stuck to it. It’s exciting to see how much Lauren has grown as a player and a person during her time here. She’s one of our hardest workers and it’s wonderful to see her efforts paying off.”
Kansas finished fifth at the Lone Star Invitational as a team, improving its score every round. KU shot a 297-296-295—888 (+24). Baylor dominated the tournament, carding a 826 (-38), which was 33 strokes better than runner-up SMU at 859 (-5).
Heinlein’s runner-up finish was the highest placing of her career and her second top-five outcome as a Jayhawk. She was third at the Baker Fall Invite her freshman year in Oct. 2018. The Lone Star Invitational also marked Heinlein’s first two rounds in the 60s as a Jayhawk and her second and third all-time sub-par rounds.
Tadokoro shot a 74 (+2) in her final two rounds at the Lone Star Invitational and finished tied for 22nd with a three-round 224 (+8). Junior Aristelle Acuff also shot a 74 Tuesday and posted a three-round 226 (+10), while freshman Hanna Hawks and sophomore Abby Glynn each carded a 79 on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Kansas will next compete at the 2021 Big 12 Championship, April 18-20, at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.
