Women’s golf hangs tough against nation’s elite
By Steve Lansdale
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — Three Longhorns finished under par for the week to lead the No. 8 Texas women’s golf team to a fourth-place finish in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate at the Royal Golf Club.
The first tournament of the year for UT, the event included nine of the top 10 teams in the country. The Longhorns shot 17 under par, finishing with a team total of 847 (285-281-281) for the 54-hole event. Texas finished 11 strokes behind No. 2 Alabama, which won the tournament with a 28-under-par 836 (284-275-277).
UT head coach Ryan Murphy said the team’s performance offered evidence that Texas has to be viewed as one of the nation’s elite teams.
“This was a solid start to our season,” Murphy said. “We competed with and beat some of the best teams in the country. We are capable of winning events like this, but ultimately, this just wasn’t our week. Our time is coming soon.”
Sophomore Kaitlyn Papp led the Longhorns, tying for sixth place with a seven-under-par (68-69-72) 209, which tied her best collegiate score for a 54-hole event, matching the standard she set at last year’s Schooner Fall Classic. Her 209 also tied for the fifth-best score in program history for a 54-hole tournament.
Junior Emilee Hoffman fired a four-under-par 212 (73-72-67) to tie for 13th place. Over the course of the week, she fired a team-best 13 birdies.
“I’m very proud of Pappy and Em,” Murphy said. “They both had nice showings here and they both are stepping into leadership roles nicely. They contribute so much to our team, and I could not be happier with them.”
The third Longhorn finishing in the top 20 was freshman Hailee Cooper, who tied for 18th with a two-under-par 214 in her first collegiate tournament. She shot par or better in all three rounds and led the entire tournament with 44 pars over the course of the week.
Sophomore Agathe Laisne shot a two-over-par 218 (78-68-72) to finish 35th and freshman Sára Kousková first a five-over-par 221 (72-73-76) to tie for 40th overall.
The Longhorns return to the course Sept. 28-30 in Norman Okla., in the Schooner Fall Classic at Belmar Country Club.
