SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Kansas women’s golf will play for a Big 12 championship as the Jayhawks defeated Baylor, 2-2-1, winning the tiebreaker 7 up vs. 4 up, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Match Play Tournament Saturday afternoon at Kierland Golf Club.
Kansas will play Texas for the Big 12 Match Play title on Sunday, April 9, beginning at 10:24 a.m. CT.
Down one heading to the final hole, KU sophomore Johanna Ebner edged Baylor’s Britta Snyder by one shot to tie her match and make the semifinal battle 2-2-1. Kansas won its two matches against Baylor by a total of 7 up compared to Baylor being 4 up in its two victories, advancing KU to the Big 12 Match Play Championship. Texas edged TCU, 3-2-0, in its semifinal match setting up Sunday’s championship battle.
Kansas entered Saturday’s final round of pool play in eighth place out of the nine Big 12 teams with KU having scored nine points in four matches on Friday. Then on Saturday morning, the Jayhawks dominated No. 8 seed Oklahoma 5-0-0 and defeated No. 9 seed Kansas State, 3-2-0.
Kansas’ eight points scored Saturday morning moved the Jayhawks up to the No. 1 seed heading into bracket play with 17.0 total points which was just ahead of TCU and Texas’ 16.5 points. Kansas’ 5-0 sweep of Oklahoma was the lone sweep in the three pool-play rounds of the Big 12 Match Play Tournament, an event that consisted of 27 head-to-head matches among the league schools.
Individually, Kansas graduate senior Esme Hamilton has a 5-2-0 record at the Big 12 Match Play Tournament as she won all three of her matches on Saturday. Sophomore Lauren Clark is also 5-2-0 that included winning two of her three battles on Saturday. Sophomore Jordan Rothman won both of her Saturday morning matches and is 4-2-1 at the tourney, while super senior Abby Glynn is 3-3-1. Ebner, 1-3-1, and freshman Anna Wallin, 0-2-0, split duties during the event. Ebner won her lone match against Oklahoma but her tie against Baylor in the semifinal final hole will be an all-time moment for her KU career.
Kansas is vying to win its second women’s golf league title with the Jayhawks winning the 1990 Big Eight Conference championship.
