Kawinpakorn Within Striking Distance of Another Win at the Chip-N-Club Invitational

LINCOLN, Neb. – Four Jayhawks ended the first day of the Chip-N-Club Invitational at the Lincoln Country Club in the top 25 of the 75-golfer field, led by Kansas senior Yupaporn “Mook” Kawinpakorn’s two-round 144 (E). KU is in fifth place in the 13-team competition after the first two rounds after recording a 601 (+25). The Jayhawks trail fourth-place Missouri State by one stroke and first place Notre Dame by 24 strokes.
 
After the first round, Kansas found itself in third shooting a 299 (+11). Despite shooting only three strokes worse in the second round, Nebraska and Missouri State posted strong scores to leapfrog the Jayhawks. Kawinpakorn finished the day tied for fourth with Cynthia Diaz of UMKC and Kari Bellville of Notre Dame. She trails first-place Megan Mingo and Isabella DiLisio of South Dakota State and Notre Dame, respectively, by two strokes heading into the final round.
 
“Mook had a bit of an up and down day. She had eight birdies and an eagle during the 36 holes and shot even-par. Obviously she is capable of taking it low on this course,” KU head coach Erin O’Neil said. “It boils down to minimizing a couple of course management mistakes and 3-putts for her to walk away with another individual win. She has all the tools she needs to be able to handle any situation that comes at her in the final round.”
 
Kansas freshman Ariadna Fonseca Diaz, fresh off her first top-five finish in her last event, is tied for 17^th with Jennifer Vincent of South Dakota and Natalie Roth of North Dakota State with a 150 (+6). KU sophomore Pitsinee Winyarat continued her solid play and contributed a 152 (+8), good enough to tie for 21^st with fellow Jayhawk Victoria “Vicky” Chandra and three other golfers. Winyarat also recorded the most pars by any individual, with 27 in her first two round. Jayhawk freshman Laine Evans is tied for 32^nd with a 155 (+11), while sophomore MacKenzie Sexe shot a 162 (+18) to tie for 53^rd.
 
“We are a young, talented team who is working hard to better themselves every day. We have seen improvement throughout the fall and there is no doubt that we have better rounds in us,” O’Neil said. “The key tomorrow will be to make good decisions when we get in trouble rather than trying to play a miracle shot out of the trees only to compound it with a 3-putt. There are a handful of tough holes but there are also plenty of birdie opportunities. We need to be patient and stick to our game plan of staying in the moment by focusing on what’s in our control and the results will take care of themselves.”
 
Competing as individuals, Chandra and sophomore Kallie Gonzales put forth impressive performances. Chandra tied for 21^st after carding a 152 (+8), joining Winyarat in the spot. Gonzales, carrying the Folds of Honor Bag, tied her season-best 18-hole score with 76 in the first round en route to carding 153 (+9), good enough to tie for 26^th.
 
“Both Vicky and Kallie have been working hard on their games and it doesn’t surprise us at all to see their scores improve. Learning to compete at the collegiate level is typically a difficult process the first year or two. Players must learn how to train first, and then learn how to be competitive before finally learning how to win,” said O’Neil. “Sometimes you have to play through some tough rounds to learn and develop your skills in competition. I hope today provides them with a confidence boost they can build on tomorrow and in the future.”
 
The Chip-N-Club Invitational will conclude with the third round on Tuesday. Golfers will tee of on the par-72, 6,105-yard Lincoln Country Club at 8:30 a.m. Live stats can be found at BirdieFire.com
 
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.