OU Takes Fifth at Big 12 Golf

April 27, 2008

STILLWATER, Okla. - The No. 41 Oklahoma Sooners closed out the 2008 Big 12 Women's Golf Championship with their second consecutive team score of 315, vaulting them into a fifth-place finish at 6,210-yard, par-72 Karsten Creek. The Sooners ended up six strokes behind fourth-place Missouri, seven shots back of third-place Texas and three ahead of sixth-place Nebraska.

"I think the girls did really well," OU head coach Carol Ludvigson said. "The conditions again with the winds from the north make it a much more difficult golf course, and they really hung in there and fought for every shot, even though we still had a few big holes again. But that happens out here, especially with a north wind. It can jump up and grab you. I think this tournament and playing this golf course has made us stronger."

Kendall Dye closed with a birdie at the last to finish in ninth place, her second straight top-10 and the fifth of her career. The junior from Edmond, Okla., had three birdies on the day en route to a final-round 76 (+4). After posting an 84 on Friday, Dye shot consecutive 76s in the final two rounds for a total score of 236 (+20). She finished 12 strokes behind individual medalist Jaclyn Sweeney of Oklahoma State.

"Kendall is starting to see that she can put three consistent rounds together," Ludvigson said. "She really only had three, maybe four bad holes all week. So very consistent play by her."

Senior Kelly Jacques shot a 79 (+7) Sunday to finish with a three-day total of 240 (+24). Jacques' solid play gave her a tie for 15th place, the 20th top 20 of her stellar career.

"Kelly wasn't striking the ball as well as she normally does, so her scores really were key because she really worked hard around the greens," Coach Ludvigson said.

Ellen Mueller continued her spectacular freshman season with a 78 (+6) in the final round, good for a tie for 21st place. Mueller's total score of 243 (+27) gave her six top-25 finishes in 10 tournaments this season.

"Ellen played very solid," Ludvigson said. "Her putting is really coming around, an area that she has struggled with a little bit in the last couple months. It has been a really good time for her to increase her confidence putting.

"Ellen is very mature for her age. It helps the rest of the team feel really secure and strong as well knowing that they have such a solid link," Ludvigson added. "They know that every time she's out there, she's going to put in a good score or leave everything out there trying. That helps the team dynamic overall and really raises everybody to a different level."

Golfstat Live Scoring

Senior Heather Wright carded an 86 (+14) Saturday to finish in a tie for 38th at 250 (+34). Wright's final round included back-to-back birdies on holes 11 and 12.

Ryanne Elmer saved her best round of the championship for last with an 82 (+10) on the final day. The sophomore from Edmond jumped into a tie for 57th at 270 with her solid performance.

Oklahoma State closed the deal, leading wire-to-wire and winning the Big 12 title by 27 strokes over Texas A&M. The Cowgirls finished the championship with a team score of 912 (+48).

After its solid Big 12 performance, OU now awaits its regional destination, which will be announced at 4 p.m. CDT tomorrow.

"We're really looking forward to it, hoping we go to Austin," Coach Ludvigson said. "That's a golf course that we've played a lot, and we know what to expect. We know what to practice and how to get prepared for it. We're going to work on knockdown shots, and really do a lot of chipping and putting. We want to feel really secure on our short game from 50 yards on in. I think that this week has really helped going into regionals as far as decision-making and letting go of any fear. Just working on scoring and making pars."

The 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships begin May 8-10 with Regionals at Austin, Texas, Sacramento, Calif., and Athens, Ga.

Team Standings
1. Oklahoma State - 303-302-307=912 (+48)
2. Texas A&M - 315-304-320=939 (+75)
3. Texas - 321-319-318=958 (+94)
4. Missouri - 317-319-323=959 (+95)
5. Oklahoma - 335-315-315=965 (+101)
6. Nebraska - 326-317-325=968 (+104)
7. Texas Tech - 334-318-334=986 (+122)
8. Kansas State - 335-324-330=989 (+125)
9. Iowa State - 331-326-337=994 (+130)
10. Kansas - 333-325-340=998 (+134)
11. Colorado - 351-322-329=1002 (+138)
12. Baylor - 344-338-339=1021 (+157)

Individual Standings
1. Jaclyn Sweeney, Oklahoma State - 74-74-77=225 (+9)
2. Karin Kinnerud, Oklahoma State - 76-76-77=229 (+13)
3. Amanda Johnson, Oklahoma State - 80-74-76=230 (+14)
T4. Danielle McVeigh, Texas A&M - 78-75-80=233 (+17)
T4. Sarah Zwartynski, Texas A&M - 77-73-83=233 (+17)

OU Individual Standings
9. Kendall Dye - 84-76-76=236 (+20)
T15. Kelly Jacques - 84-77-79=240 (+24)
T21. Ellen Mueller - 85-80-78=243 (+27)
T38. Heather Wright - 82-82-86=250 (+34)
T57. Ryanne Elmer - 97-91-82=270 (+54)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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