Sakdee Wins Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational

Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational Final Results

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second year in a row, a Kansas Jayhawk has won the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational as sophomore Pornvipa Sakdee shot 73 Tuesday at Alvamar Golf Club to win her first collegiate title by three strokes.
 
Sakdee entered the day one shot behind Kansas State’s Chandler Gallagher, who shot a 78 in her final round, placing third in the 60-golfer field. Sakdee, from Kamphaeng, Thailand, ended with a three-round even-par 216 (70-73-73) which was three shots better than Central Arkansas’ Fernanda Lira who finished runner-up at 219 (+3). Last year, KU’s Meghan Potee took medalist honors at the Marilynn Smith event played in Manhattan, Kansas.
 
“I feel so happy and I am glad I won.” Sakdee said.
 
After owning a six shot lead following the first two rounds of the tournament, the Kansas Blue team struggled in the third round shooting a 310 (+22) to place second in the 11-team field with a three-round score of 900 (+36). Kansas State carded a 298 (+10) Tuesday to win the team title with an overall score of 894 (+30). The Kansas Crimson team placed ninth with a third-round score of 314 (+26) and a team total of 949 (+85).
 
With two freshmen in the Blue team’s lineup, Kansas golf coach Erin O’Neil took this tournament as a learning experience and expressed optimism for the rest of the season.
 
“Today was a tough day and obviously we are a little disappointed,” O’Neil said. “We were leading going in and gave some shots away, but we learned a lot. I think it’s good to do it on the front end and figure out what we need to learn and adjust. We have a talented young group, so I just think we need to learn how to handle that pressure going forward. It was a good experience for us.”
 
For the Kansas Blue team, junior Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, finished tied for fifth with a 79 in her last round and an overall score of +6 (74-69-79—222). Senior Gabby Dimarco tied for 19^th at +12 (73-76-79—228). Freshman Kallie Gonzales tied for 35^th at +22 (79-76-83— 238) and freshman Pitsinee Winyarat finished 47^th at +27 (81-83-79—243).
 
Senior Michelle Woods led the Kansas Crimson team with a third-round score of 76 and placed tied for fifth overall at +6 (75-71-76—222). It was Woods’ first-ever top 10 finish in a tournament while a KU. Junior Mackenzie Thayer tied for 26^th at +16 (82-74-76—232) and senior Minami Levonowich was able to bounce back to have a better third round with a 77 Tuesday. Levonowich tied for 44^th at +25 (79-85-77—241). Freshman MacKenzie Sexe finished 57^th at +39 (87-83-85—255) and junior Carly Humes placed 60th at +43 (86-88-85—259)
 
Kansas next plays at the Minnesota Invitational in Minneapolis, September 15-16.
 
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