OU women win Big 12 Championship

The University of Oklahoma women’s golf team shot a third-round 296 (+6) Sunday and claimed the Big 12 Championship at the par-70 Lawrence Golf Club in Lawrence Kansas. It was the second Big 12 title for the Sooners, who posted a three-round 904 (+64) amid rainy and windy conditions to beat second-place Texas by two shots.

OU, which entered the championship ranked No. 32 by GolfWeek, also finished eight shots in front of third-place Baylor and nine ahead of Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Texas A&M finished in sixth place and was followed by Texas Tech in seventh, Kansas State in eighth, Missouri in ninth and Kansas in 10th. Seven of the 10 teams are ranked in the nation’s top 50.

“This is just an incredible feeling,” said OU head coach Veronique Drouin. “We have been working hard all year to be the Big 12 champs and we did it. I’m so proud of our girls. Everyone played solid and it’s been a great week for us. We’re not done yet, though. We have regionals in the next couple weeks so we are going to go back home and we will get ready for the next step.”

Four Sooners finished in the top 16. Sophomore Chirapat Jao-Javanil just missed out on medalist honors, finishing in a second-place tie out of 50 golfers (one shot behind Texas A&M’s Mary Michael Maggio). Jao-Javanil shot a third-round 75 (+5), bringing her three-round total to 220 (+10). By finishing in the top 10, she earned All-Big 12 honors for the second straight year.

Fellow sophomore Anne-Catherine Tanguay also claimed all-conference honors by finishing in fourth place with a 222 (+12).  She shot a 4-over 74 Sunday for her fourth career top-10 finish.

Junior Jacki Marshall came up big for the Sooners in the third round as she shot a team-best 73 (+3) to move up three spots to finish in a tie for 16th place. It marked her second top-20 career finish as a Sooner. Marshall was joined in 16th place by Taylor Schmidt, who shot a final-round 74 (+4).

"I'm so proud of my team," said Jao-Javanil. "Individually putts didn't fall for me today but it turned out ok. Both coach G and V were great help on the course and I'm really happy with us winning the Big 12. It is definitely a dream come true. Everyone has been working so hard and I'm happy for everyone that it is paying off."

Sophomore Emily Collins carded a third-round 76 (+6) to end the tournament in a tie for 35th place.

OU’s only other Big 12 title came in 2000 under former head coach Carol Ludvigson. The Sooners won that year at Lubbock Country Club in Lubbock, Texas.

Next up for OU is a trip to NCAA regionals May 10-12. The Sooners will play at either Penn State Golf Course in State College, Pa., The Ohio State University Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio, or at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo.

Oklahoma State posted a 297 during its final round to finish in a tie for fourth place at Lawrence Country Club.

The Cowgirls 17-over score gave them a 54-hole total of 913, knotting them with Iowa State at the par-70, 6,038-yard layout.

OSU had a pair of players finish among the top 10 with Jayde Panos leading the way. The sophomore closed with a 73 to finish at 223 and remain in fifth place.

Junior Kelsey Vines carded the squad’s best score of the day with a 72 to move from a tie for 11th into a tie for eighth place at 226.

Sophomore Amy Ruengmateekhun closed with a 77 to finish at 19-over 229 and alone in 14th place.

Freshman Courtney Ferguson posted her low round of the event with a 76 to tie for 33rd place at 237.

Senior Jocelyn Alford finished a shot off the pace of Ferguson at 238 after signing for a 76 during her third round to tie for 35th place.

The Cowgirls will now await the selection of the NCAA Tournament participants on Monday at 8 p.m. (CST).