Cowgirls back in action at Illini Women’s Invitational
STILLWATER, Okla. —- Oklahoma State women’s golf is set to return to action Monday with the Illini Women’s Invitational at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. The 54-hole tournament will feature 15 teams at the par-72, 6,166-yard course.
The Cowgirls head to Medinah in search of their first tournament victory of the 2022-23 season after finishing third in each of the first two events of the fall schedule. Oklahoma State has finished inside the top-3 in 19 straight regular season tournaments, dating back to September 28, 2020.
In its most recent competition, Oklahoma State combined to shoot a 7-under 833 at the Schooner Fall Classic. OSU’s 833 in Norman was the team’s lowest 54-hole score since the Jim West Challenge in October of 2021, where they compiled a mark of 825.
The competitive playing field in Medinah includes Alabama, Auburn, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Northwestern, Oregon State, Purdue, San Jose State, and Tennessee, as well as Big 12 foes Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas Tech.
Seven teams among the field advanced to compete at the NCAA Championships in the 2021-22 season. Throughout the year, Oklahoma State earned a 31-10-1 record against the teams it will compete against on Monday.
Standout Maddison Hinson-Tolchard will lead the Cowgirl lineup once again this week. A junior, she is coming off a solid performance in which she finished tied for 20th at the Schooner Fall Classic, in which she finished even-par after rounds of 68-75-67-210.
Hinson-Tolchard owns two career tournament wins and eight top-10 finishes, as she continues to build her resume toward a second consecutive Big 12 Player of the Year award.
Rina Tatematsu, a junior, also joins the Cowgirl lineup after starting in both of the team’s tournaments thus far. Tatematsu carries plenty of momentum into this week, after she fired an even-par 210, her lowest 54-hole score since the Jim West Challenge in October of 2021.
Han-Hsuan Yu is set to make her third start of the season in Medinah. Yu has landed in the top-10 in five of her last nine tournaments, including a tied for sixth place result at the Carmel Cup to open the 2022 fall schedule.
Thitaporn Saithip returns to the Cowgirl lineup after competing as an individual at the Schooner Fall Classic. A freshman, she has had a strong start to her collegiate career, finishing 10th at the Carmel Cup and tied for 15th in Norman.
Hailey Jones, a senior, rounds out the OSU starting five. Jones brings a wealth of experience to the Cowgirl lineup, having played in 26 total tournaments in her career.
Cecilie Leth-Nissen, a freshman, will also travel to Medinah, where she’ll compete as an individual. Leth-Nissen earned a spot in the starting lineup to open the season at the Carmel Cup, and played individually at the Schooner Fall Classic.
In addition, Angelica Pfefferkorn, Emma Whitaker and Ashton Begley will all compete as individuals at the Dale MacNamara at Cesar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Okla. on Monday.
To open her 2022-23 campaign, Begley recorded a top-5 finish at the Grace Shin Invitational, where she also played individually. Finishing tied for fifth, the result was the best of her career.
Whitaker joined Begley at the Grace Shin Invitational earlier this month, finishing in a tie for 21st. The event marked the first start of the season for Whitaker, and the 20th in her Cowgirl career.
Pfefferkorn has not played yet this season, but has competed in seven events in her career, including the Red Raider Match Play last spring.
The trio looks to continue OSU’s recent string of success in Broken Arrow, following Hailey Jones’ individual victory at the tournament in 2021.
The Illini Women’s Invitational is scheduled to tee off at 8:30 a.m. CT Monday morning. The Cowgirls will play their first two rounds on Monday, and end their trip with the final round on Tuesday.
Live scoring for both events will be available at golfstat.com.