Chou guides Jayhawks to top-10 finish at Briar's Creek Invitational

Briar’s Creek Invitational
The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek
John’s Island, S.C.
Par-71 | 6,101
Results – 3 of 3 Rounds

Place Team Score
1 Michigan State 856 (-8)
2 Indiana 864 (E)
3 Campbell 873 (+9)
T4 College of Charleston 877 (+13)
T4 Old Dominion 877 (+13)
6 Long Beach State 879 (+15)
7 Furman 881 (+17)
T8 KANSAS 884 (+20)
T8 Clemson 884 (+20)
10 East Carolina 886 (+22)
11 Illinois 887 (+23)
12 Penn State 890 (+26)
13 Middle Tennessee 900 (+36)
14 Georgetown 923 (+59)
15 Boston College 924 (+60)
16 Charleston Southern 933 (+69)
17 UNC Asheville 960 (+96)
Individual Leaderboard (Top 5)
Place Name Team Score
1 Allyson Geer-Park MSU 203 (-13)
2 Ana Paula Valdes CLEM 207 (-9)
3 Alexis Miestowski IND 210 (-6)
T4 Emily Hawkins CAMP 213 (-3)
T4 Alice Hewson CLEM 213 (-3)
Kansas Leaderboard
Place Name Score
T10 Yi-Tsen Chou 216 (E)
T24 Pear Pooratanaopa 221 (+5)
T26 Sera Tadokoro 222 (+6)
T52 Chomchana Phuchanbanchob 226 (+10)
T76 Aristelle Acuff 235 (+19)
T76 Abby Glynn (Ind.) 235 (+19)

JOHN’S ISLAND, S.C. – Kansas women’s golf enjoyed two days and three rounds at the Golf Club at Briar’s Creek for their third-consecutive Briar’s Creek Invitational. The team finished in a tie for eighth place with No. 22 Clemson, firing a collective score of 884 (+20) over 54 holes of play. The Crimson and Blue carded rounds of 286-298-300 at the tournament, beating out Big Ten power and No. 25 Illinois for a top-10 finish.
 
After carding back-to-back under-par rounds on Monday, junior Yi-Tsen Chou finished strong by firing a 75 (+3) for a three-round score of 216 (E), putting her in a tie for 10th place. She originally carded a double bogey, along with two-consecutive bogeys, but bounced back with three birdies along the next 10 holes to once again lead the Jayhawks.

Freshman Pear Pooratanaopa carded a final round score of 73 (+1), moving her 10 spots up the leaderboard for a T-24th-place finish and a collective score of 221 (+5). Pooratanaopa racked up three birdies on Tuesday to help her finish in the top-25.
 
Another big mover on the leaderboard was sophomore Sera Tadokoro, who improved 20 spots from yesterday’s action to secure a finish in a tie for 26th place, shooting a three-round 222 (+6). She carded three birdies and shot 1-over 73 in the final round, improving four strokes from her second-round finish on Monday.

Senior Chomchana Phuchanbanchob couldn’t find a groove on the final day of play after shooting even par during the opening round. A handful of bogeys and an untimely triple bogey stopped Phuchanbannchob from gaining momentum and moving up the leaderboard. She finished by posting rounds of 72-75-79 for a total score of 226 (+10), good for a tie for 52nd place.

Sophomore Aristelle Acuff showed great promise and confidence during the first two rounds, but could not capitalize on the final day of action by posting a 12-over par 84. Acuff posted an even-par round on Monday but ultimately finished in a tie for 76th place after she fired a three-round 235 (+19).

Freshman Abby Glynn competed as an individual and also finished tied for 76th. She collected scores of 78-79-78. 

NOTABLES:

  • Yi-Tsen Chou’s three-round score of  216 is her best score since the first tournament of the season, the Minnesota invitational, where she posted rounds of 76-70-68-214.
  • This is Chou’s fourth top-10 finish of the year. Included were her posting her seventh and eighth rounds under par on the year.
  • Chou, the KU team leader in birdies (50), racked up 12 more in three rounds during this week’s tournament.
  • The Jayhawks have finished in the top-10 in six out of their seven events this year.
  • Sera Tadokoro and Pear Pooratanaopa each hit for par on 37 out of 54 holes.
  • Aristelle Acuff recorded the first even-par round of her career during Monday’s opening round.

QUOTES
Head coach Erin O’Neil
On what impressed her during the tournament:
“It was very encouraging and exciting to see us compete well against some of the current top-25 teams. We saw a lot of good things the last few days from everyone who was here. I think there were some nerves and expectations that caused us to have a rough start on our first nine, but we were able to regroup and get back on track, which was really nice to see.”

On the trio of Yi-Tsen, Sera and Pear:
“Yi-Tsen had a solid tournament with a top-10 finish in a strong field. It was a great opportunity for her to learn how to handle being in contention to win going into a final round and it’s only a matter of time before she breaks through. Sera and Pear [Pooratanaopa] both played very consistently for us and helped us hold our own throughout the tournament.”

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks continue the spring portion of their schedule as they travel south to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the LSU Tiger Golf Classic held at the University Club. The event will be held over three days, March 29-31. 

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