Sooners Stay Hot with Another Second-Place Finish

Oct. 5, 2010

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma women's golf team collected its third straight top-three finish after tying for second place Tuesday at the 15-team Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo. The Sooners shot a 54-hole score of 878 (+14) at the par-72 Club at Old Hawthorne, tying with Colorado and finishing 15 strokes behind champion Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma shot a third-round score 290 (+2), its best of the tournament.

"The girls played solid again today," said OU head coach Veronique Drouin. "We saw a lot of improvement and a lot of effort. They fought all the way to the end, making some crucial putts coming down the stretch. I'm really proud of how we played this week."

After finishing third in the Cougar Classic and second in the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic in September, Oklahoma is off to its best start in school history. This marks the first time the Sooners have ever placed in the top three in each of their first three tournaments of a season. It's the first time they've finished third or better in three straight tournaments since 2002.

The Sooners were led by senior Ellen Mueller's career-best performance. Mueller recorded five birdies and shot a career-low score of 69 (-3) Tuesday to finish at 3 under overall. The senior tied for third place in the 84-competitor field, one shot behind co-champions Courtney McKim and Victoria Park of Oklahoma State.

Results | Club at Old Hawthorne | Twitter

It marked Mueller's second top-10 finish of the season and 12th of her career.

Freshmen Chirapat Jao-Javanil and Anne-Catherine Tanguay tied for 15th with a three-round total of 223 (+5).

Sophomore Taylor Schmidt shot a third-round 75 (+3) to finish in 31st place.

Freshman Emily Collins shot a 229 (+13) total to finish in a tie for 36th. Collins, whose third-round 74 (+2) was her best of the tournament, placed in the top eight in both of her first two events this season.

With the Club at Old Hawthorne hosting the 2011 Big 12 Women's Golf Championship April 22-24, the Johnie Imes Invitational featured eight Big 12 teams.

The Sooners, Colorado and Oklahoma State were joined in the field by fellow league members Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska.

"It was encouraging to see where we are as a team in comparison to our conference," said Drouin. "We have a few things to address this week at practice and we'll be back out for our last tournament of the fall next week."

The Sooners close out their fall schedule Oct. 11-13 at the Dale McNamara, held at the Patriot Golf Club in Tulsa, Okla.