Oklahoma sweeps titles at Paradise Invitational, Cowgirls second

Complete results:

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Oklahoma women’s golf delivered a dominant performance at the spring-opening Paradise Invitational on Tuesday, sweeping both the team and individual titles for the program’s first 54-hole tournament win since 2018. Junior Gracie Mayo finished at 11-under to become OU’s first medalist in seven years, winning by three strokes.

The Sooners began the final round two strokes ahead of Oklahoma State but widened the margin to 13 by days end.

The Sooners (1, -28) posted a three-round score of 836, the fourth-lowest 54-hole total in program history, securing head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell’s 12th career victory. The team title marks Oklahoma’s 52nd all-time win, with four Sooners finishing in the top five.

“I’m so proud of our team,” Drouin-Luttrell said. “They’ve worked so hard all winter, and to see it pay off right out of the gate was fantastic. We played really well and were consistent for all three rounds. This team is really special and I can’t wait to continue our journey together this spring.”

Mayo (1, -11) carded rounds of 69-67-69 at the par-72 Osprey Point Golf Club, holding off Denver’s Emma Bryant to claim her first career victory. The junior from Wales carried a one-shot lead into the final round, where six birdies propelled her to a 3-under 69. Her 205 (-11) is tied for the seventh-lowest tournament score in program history and stands as a career best. Mayo is OU’s first medalist since Julienne Soo won the 2018 Clover Cup, which was also the last 54-hole event Oklahoma won as a team.

“Gracie was sensational this week,” Drouin-Luttrell added. “She has always been a high-level player, and she has continued to work hard and improve since arriving in Norman. To see that work come to fruition this week was really a treat for me.”

Junior MaKayla Tyrrell (3, -6) surged up the leaderboard, climbing 12 spots to finish third. She posted six birdies against a single bogey in the final round, securing the best finish of her career.

Freshman Audrey Rischer (T4, -5) and junior Savannah Barber (T4, -5) shared fourth place, each notching their best finishes of the season. Rischer birdied the 18th hole to offset two bogeys, finishing the day at 73 (+1). Barber recorded two birdies and two bogeys to shoot even par, closing the week at 5-under.

Senior Reagan Chaney (T35, +3) rounded out the Sooners’ lineup, tallying three birdies and four bogeys to finish the tournament at 3-over after an even-par final day.

The 15-team field featured one ranked team, No. 21 Oklahoma State (2, -15), while Kentucky, ranked 34th in the Clippd rankings, placed third at 12-under. Rutgers (-2) and BYU (-1) completed the top five in the Sooners’ spring-opening tournament.

The 13-shot win was the program’s largest margin of victory since Oklahoma won the 2014 Big 12 Championship by 17 strokes.

The Sooners take the course next at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational at Palm Aire CC in Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 16-17. Oklahoma will look for back-to-back wins for the first time since October of the 2012-13 campaign at the event.

Oklahoma State  earned a runner-up finish at the FAU Paradise Invitational and – competing more than 1,000 miles away — Summer Lee became the program’s first freshman medalist in five seasons with a one-stroke victory at the Texas State Invitational.

Lee was part of a trio of Cowgirls competing unattached this week at the Vaaler Creek Golf Course Blanco, Texas. All three placed among the top six.

Lee fired a final-round 74 on Tuesday to finish 2-under par – one stroke ahead of Texas State’s Yvonne Chamness. She becomes OSU’s 105^th individual medalist and the first freshman to do since current PGA pro Maja Stark won the 2020 Hurricane Invitational.

Marta Silchenko (+1) and Sammie Miller (+4) also had career-best finishes in Texas, placing third and sixth respectively. Silchenko missed the fall due to injury but played well in her season debut, particularly on par-5’s where she shot 8-under for the tournament and posted the field’s best stroke average (4.33), while Miller’s 37 pars were second only to Lee (38) among the 63 golfers in the field.

In Boca Raton, Fla. OSU shot 15-under par to place second out of 15 teams at the FAU Paradise Invitational.

The Cowgirls finished 13 strokes behind Oklahoma while outdistancing Big 12 rivals, Cincinnati, BYU and Texas Tech.