⛳️ KU Women’s Golf Hosts Annual Season Celebration

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas women’s golf team hosted its season celebration Friday evening at The Jayhawk Club, celebrating the 2022-23 season under second-year head coach Lindsay Kuhle.

Kansas has many accomplishments heading into the 2023 NCAA Regional in Athens, Georgia, May 8-10, marking the second time in program history KU has been selected for an NCAA Regional. The Jayhawks have recorded four team top-5 finishes and nine top-10 placings in 2022-23. Included was a program-best 54-hole tournament low score at the UCF Challenge, where the Jayhawks shot a combined 859 (-9). Also, as a team, the 2022-23 Jayhawks broke the 18-hole team score with a combined score of 279 (-9) in the final round at the Westbrook Invitational. Kansas also broke the 36-hole record with a team score of 566 (-10).

At the banquet, Kuhle honored KU’s two seniors – Abby Glynn and Esme Hamilton. Glynn finished tied for 11th at the Match in the Desert this spring. She has competed in all but one tournament this year and has competed in 30 events while at Kansas. Hamilton, who transferred from Chattanooga, placed tied for ninth at the Dick McGuire Invitational and at last week’s Big 12 Conference Championship. By finishing in the top 10, Hamilton was awarded a spot on the Big 12 Conference Championship All-Tournament Team, the first Jayhawk since 2017 and the 10th time a Jayhawk has earned the honor in the 26-year history of the league.

“These two ladies have been a big part of our success this year,” Kuhle said. “Both of them came back for their fifth year because they believed in this program and wanted to accomplish amazing things and make the NCAA tournament, which we did.  I’m so incredibly proud of the work they have put in and their belief in this program.”

The Kansas coaches and staff then presented six team awards: The Top-Academic Award, the Strength and Conditioning Award, the Overall Short Game Award, Season Long Points Race, Most Improved, and Marilynn Smith MVP.

Glynn was named the Academic Award recipient presented by Assistant Athletics Director – Director of Academic and Career Counseling Ryan King. Glynn earned her undergraduate degree from Kansas last spring and in May will be receiving a certificate in entrepreneurship from KU with a 4.00 grade point average. Glynn has been placed of the KU honor roll nine times and is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree. She recently earned the Dr. Gerald L Award which is the highest academic award the Big 12 Conference awards.

Presented by Assistant Sports Performance Coach Ally Ginkens, freshman Amy DeKock won the Strength and Conditioning Award, which was given to the athlete that excelled in the weight room.

Sophomore Johanna Ebner was the recipient of the Total Short Game Award presented by Associate Head Coach Stephen Bidne. The award speaks for itself as Hawks excelled in shots around the green in competition and practice. Ebner has eight rounds of par or better with three even par and five under par in 2022-23.

Freshman Anna Wallin was the recipient of the Season Long Points Race presented Bidne. The award is presented to the player who collected the most points at practice, which was dependent on performance in practice drills.

The Marilynn Smith MVP was awarded to two Jayhawks, sophomores Jordan Rothman and Ebner. A Kansas alum, Marilynn Smith was one of the original founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and was a 22-time champion on the LPGA Tour.

Rothman finished the regular season with two top-10 finishes, tying for ninth at the Dick McGuire Invitational and tying for third at the Westbrook Invitational. Rothman has a team-high 11 rounds of par or better with five even par and six under par rounds. Rothman, also has contributed 89.3% of her rounds (25 of 28) in 2022-23.

Ebner, who also received the Total Short Game Award, has three top-10 finishes this season, placing fifth at the Marilynn Smith Invitational, tying for sixth at the Match in the Desert, and tying for second at the PING/ASU Invitational. Ebner has contributed a team-best in 95.8% of her rounds (23 of 24) and was Kansas top finisher in five tournaments in 2022-23.