411OnTheForty: Six Texas golfers named to preseason award watch lists
If the preseason is any indication of the performances that await the Texas golf teams in the season ahead, then the Longhorns should be at the top of the Big 12 by the end of the fall.
Three members of the men's team, and three from the women's team had earned spots on award watch lists for the 2020 season, according to announcements released Thursday through the UT athletic department.
Juniors Cole Hammer and Pierceson Coody and sophomore Travis Vick, were named to the Haskins Award watch list, each for the second consecutive year.
The award, named for the English golfer who contributed to the sport mainly as a coach and promoter, is given each year the the country's most outstanding player. In its 50th year, the award has been previously won by seven Longhorns, most recently Beau Hossler in 2016.
If the Longhorns win the Big 12 title this season, the trio of honorees should be a big reason for the team's success. Hammer is fresh off an appearance at the U.S. Open, Vick finished in the top 10 at two tournaments last season and Coody posted four top-10 finishes last year.
The men's team opens the season Monday in Fort Worth at the Colonial Collegiate Invitational, facing a field that includes Texas Tech, Oklahoma and TCU.
On the women's side, sophomore Sophie Guo and seniors Agathe Laisne and Kaitlyn Papp each were named the the ANNIKA Award watch list, the highest honor in women's college golf.
As a freshman in 2019-20, Guo earned All-America status and set the Texas single-season school record for stroke average with 70.71.
Papp was also an All-America last year, and finished the season ranked No. 5 in the Golfweek individual rankings.
Laisne has carried the team during her time on the Forty Acres, helping the Horns to win the Big 12 title each of the last three seasons, especially in 2019-20, when she was named the Big 12 Conference champion. However, the team will compete this fall without her and without fellow All-America Sara Kouskova, both of whom are international students (Laisne is French, and Kousova is from the Czech Republic) who will continue taking classes online. Head coach Ryan Murphy said he does expect the duo to return for the spring.
