PHOENIX – Behind a 4-under 68 from sophomore Johanna Ebner, Kansas women’s golf improved two spots to finish seventh at the PING/ASU Invitational at Papago Golf Course on Sunday. The Jayhawks defeated six teams ranked ahead of them en route to their fourth consecutive top-10 finish.
Kansas climbed seven spots after ending round one in 14th place (302) in the 17-team field. KU improved 13 strokes with a 289 round two score and entered Sunday’s round in ninth. Kansas carded a 2-under 286 Sunday, and was one of four teams to shoot under par for the final round.
“We not only had a strong performance in shooting 2-under today but this entire week,” Kansas head coach Lindsay Kuhle said. “We putted really well and had a lot of confidence in our lag putting and making putts inside of six to eight feet for par and birdie.”
KU concluded with a three-round score of 877 (+13), five shots ahead of No. 35 Michigan State. No. 23 Northwestern ran away with the tournament title with an 18-under 846. No. 11 Arizona State finished second at 4-under (860). Currently ranked No. 52, KU also defeated No. 13 USC, No. 15 Arizona, No. 33 Michigan, No. 39 California and No. 42 New Mexico over the weekend.
“Our ball striking really stood out to me because in a field like this when you are competing against 90 players and more than half the teams are top 50 on a longer golf course, it really shows who is a good ball striker,” Kuhle said. “I’m really confident how our ladies struck the ball and how they had a lot of birdie opportunities.”
Sophomore Lauren Clark was KU’s top finisher as she tied for 11th. After shooting even par through the first two rounds, Clark shot a 1-over 73 Sunday for a three-round 217 (+1). Sophomore Jordan Rothman finished the tournament tied for 21st with a 3-over three-round score of 219. Rothman collected back-to-back-to-back birdies on holes 13, 14, and 15 to finish one-under on the back nine and even par on Sunday.
Ebner finished the tournament strong, tallying a 68 (-4) Sunday, which included a 3-under performance on the back nine. Ebner ended tied for 27th and posted 12 birdies across the three rounds, which included five in Sunday’s final round.
Super senior Abby Glynn shot a 1-over 73 Sunday and tied graduate transfer Esme Hamilton with a three-round 228 (+12). Sera Hasegawa from Baylor and Kelly Sim from Northwestern tied for medalist honors with a three-round 206 (-10).
“Kansas women’s golf is taking a new direction and we are able to compete with top 25 ranked teams, which is really fun to see,” Kuhle said. “I’m really proud of the girls and the way they stepped up. They knew what the challenge was. They knew what they needed to do this week and we accomplished our goal.”
The Jayhawks will next compete in the first-ever women’s golf Big 12 Match Play, April 7-9, at the Kierland Golf Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
