Sooners, Cowgirls battle for first in Paradise Invitational
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Oklahoma closed day one of the spring-opening Paradise Invitational with a two-shot lead over Oklahoma State after 36 holes were played at the par-72 Osprey Point Golf Club on Monday.
Powered by Gracie Mayo, who sits in solo first in the individual race, the Sooners (1, -22) lead No. 21 Oklahoma State by two strokes and third-place Mercer by 16 shots as the 15-team field heads into Tuesday’s final round. OU’s two-round score of 554 marked the second lowest 36-hole score in program history.
Mayo (1, -8) is one of three Sooners inside the top five in Boca Raton, as true freshman Audrey Rischer (T3, -6) and junior Savannah Barber (T5, -5) are in contention for medalist honors.
The Sooners are searching for their 12th win under Drouin-Luttrell, but the first since the program won the 2018 Clover Cup where Oklahoma last produced a medalist in a 54-hole event (Julienne Soo).
Mayo, a junior from Newport, Wales, carded rounds of 69 (-3) and 67 (-5) to move into solo first. She’ll enter Tuesday with a one-shot advantage over Oklahoma State’s Ellie Bushnell, as the two will be paired together in the final round.
Freshman Audrey Rischer (T3, -6) had a strong day as well, grabbing a share of third. Rischer fired a career-low, bogey-free 66 (-6) to post the field’s best round of the day. Her even-par 72 in the afternoon kept the Sooner inside the top five.
Junior Savannah Barber (T5, -5) fired seven birdies to post a 67 in the opening round. Barber posted a 72 in the afternoon as she hunts her first career victory.
Junior MaKayla Tyrrell (T15, -2) improved upon her score of 74 from the first round by the end of the day, recording a 4-under 68 to move up 32 spots on the leaderboard at the end of the second round.
The Oklahoma lineup was rounded out by senior Reagan Chaney (T41, +2), who tallied rounds of 75 and 71 to share 41st after 36 holes.
The Sooners tee off with Oklahoma State (2, -20) and Kentucky (4, -5) at 7 a.m. CT Tuesday. Live scoring will be available on Clippd and updates provided on the OU Women’s Golf social media channels.
Oklahoma State had three Cowgirls in the top five on the individual leaderboard.
The Cowgirls had a dominant first day at Osprey Point Golf Course, shooting 20-under through two rounds while leading the field in both birdies (39) and par-3 scoring (2.95). They sit just two strokes behind first-place Oklahoma heading into Tuesday’s final round.
Five of the 10 individual Cowgirl rounds were in the 60s and nine were at-or-below par.
Scoring was at a premium for the rest of the field. Oklahoma State separated itself from the competition, building up a 14-stroke lead over third-place Mercer.
Sophomore Ellie Bushnell is in second place individually, just one stroke behind Oklahoma’s Gracie Mayo.
Bushnell fired a 69 in round one and followed it up with a bogey-free 68 in round two. Her 4.50 par-5 stroke average was tops among the field’s 78 golfers.
Grace Kilcrease picked up right where she left off last fall, with a 4-under, 68, followed by a 71 in the afternoon session. Her 10 birdies were second-most among the field.
Thitaporn Sathip matched Kilcrease with identical scores in each of the two rounds.
Both golfers are 5-under par and just three strokes back of the lead.
Freshman Tarapath Panya is off to solid start, tied for 19th at 1-under par.
Fellow first-year Lucy Darr bounced back from a 5-over first round with a career-low 69 in the afternoon, helped by five birdies.
The Cowgirls will be paired with Sooners and Mercer for Tuesday’s final round of competition.
Texas State Invitational:
Three other Cowgirls, Marta Silchenko, Summer Lee and Sammie Miller, competed individually at Texas State Invitational in Blanco, Texas.Â
All three golfers rank among the top-5 through 36 holes with 18 more to play on Tuesday.
Lee shined in the Texas heat, finishing the day at 4-under with a three-stroke lead over Texas State’s Yvonne Chamness. She was one of just two golfers to shoot under par in the morning session (-1) and was even better over the next 17, firing a 3-under, 69. It was her second career round in the 60s.
Lee wasn’t the only success story in Texas.
Lee wasn’t the only success story in Texas as sophomore Marta Silchenko, making her season debut, went 1-under on the day, a score good enough to sit her in a tie for second, three back of her teammate in first.
Miller (+2) is tied for fourth after two steady rounds. She posted pars on 26 of the 36 holes – tops among the field.Â
Team Leaderboard:
1. Oklahoma (-22) — 276-278
2. Oklahoma State (-20) — 277-279
3. Mercer (-6) — 283-287
4. Kentucky (-5) — 285-286
5. Texas Tech (-4) — 285-287
5. Rutgers (-4) — 288-284
7. Denver (-3) — 283-290
T8. Tulane (-1) — 282-293
T8. BYU (-1) — 287-288
10. East Carolina (+8) — 295-289
11. Notre Dame (+9) — 290-295
12. Florida International (+12) — 302-286
T13. Florida Atlantic (+13) — 293-296
T13. Kennesaw State (+13) — 296-293
15. Cincinnati (+17) — 291-302
Individual Leaderboard at FAU Paradise Invitational:
2. Ellie Bushnell (-7)- 69-68 = 137
T5. Grace Kilcrease (-5)- 68-71 = 139
T5. Thitaporn Saithip (-5)- 68-71 = 139
T19. Tarapath Panya (-1)- 72-71 = 143
T41. Lucy Darr (+2)- 77-69 = 146
Individuals at Texas State Invitational:
1. Summer Lee (-4)- 71-69 = 140
T2. Marta Silchenko (-1)- 74-69 = 143
T4. Sammie Miller (+2)- 73-73 = 146