Cowgirls start spring season at UCF Challenge
STILLWATER – After a productive fall that included a team win and an individual win against stiff competition, the Oklahoma State women’s golf team begins its 2020 spring season this weekend with hopes to improve upon its No. 15 national ranking.
“If we continue to work hard, continue to do the things we did in the fall and carry that over to the spring, then I think we will see some success,” head coach Greg Robertson said. “This a very talented and young team. We’ve seen a lot of great things from them as far as their work ethic and little things they’re doing on and off the course, so we’re looking forward to what the next couple of months holds for us.”
The Cowgirls will tee off the spring Sunday at the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Florida against a field that includes No. 14 Illinois, No. 3 Kent State and No. 13 Michigan State. With the group Robertson is taking to Orlando, he is ready to get the season underway.
“I think they are ready and prepared,” Robertson said. “If they go and play their game and play like they’re capable of, then I think they can beat anybody they play against.”
Tabbed the No. 13 individual player in the country, freshman Isabella Fierro will lead the Cowgirls into the spring. In the fall, Fierro earned her first career victory at the Betsy Rawls Invitational and tallied two other top-10 finishes in four tournaments.
“I think our expectations are the same as the tournaments we’ve already played,” Fierro said. “We are working as hard as we were when the fall season started, so we are ready to get going.”
Fierro will be joined by fellow freshman Hailey Jones, a pair of top-100 ranked sophomores in Han-Hsuan Yu and Lianna Bailey and junior Emma Whitaker.
Coach Robertson is excited to see Bailey get out on the course after using the offseason to improve her game. In the qualifying rounds for the UCF Challenge, which have taken place over the last two weekends, Robertson said Bailey finished in first place by a couple of strokes.
“She has really stepped up,” Robertson said about Bailey. “She is shooting some low scores to start the year off, which is a great sign.”
Oklahoma State will tee off its first round Sunday morning at the Eagle Creek Golf Club and play 18 holes each day with the final round taking place Tuesday.
UCF Challenge
Host: University of Central Florida
Dates: Feb. 2-4, 2020
Site: Orlando, Florida
Course: Eagle Creek Golf Club
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,349
Format: 18-18-18; 5-count-4
Live Scoring: GolfStat.com
The Cowgirls
1. Isabella Fierro
2. Lianna Bailey
3. Hailey Jones
4. Han-Hsuan Yu
5. Emma Whitaker
The Field (Golfstat Ranking)
Charleston
East Carolina
Illinois (14)
Iowa State
Kennesaw State
Kent State (3)
Miami
Michigan State (13)
NC State
Oklahoma State (15)
Old Dominion
Penn State
Purdue
Sacramento State
UCF
UNC Wilmington