Women's Golf Aims for National Title

May 20, 2013

NORMAN, Okla. -- The fourth-ranked University of Oklahoma's women's golf team will compete in the 24-team NCAA Championships this Tuesday through Friday (May 21-24) at the 6,372-yard, par-72 University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.

OU advanced to the NCAA Championships by virtue of its second-place performance at the NCAA Central Regional held May 9-11 on its home course in Norman. Three Sooners finished in the top six of the 126-player regional field.

This marks OU's second straight NCAA Championships appearance. Last year, the Sooners tied for sixth place (matching their best showing at nationals in school history) in Franklin, Tenn. Chirapat Jao-Javanil won the NCAA individual title, becoming the first female golfer in OU history to do so. She won by four shots. Now a junior, Jao-Javanil owns a school-record 72.13 stroke average this season.

The four-day, 72-hole tournament will begin each day with tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Sooners are paired with Purdue and Tulane for Tuesday's and Wednesday's rounds, and will tee off beginning at 12:58 p.m. and 8:25 a.m. ET, respectively. Pairings for Thursday's and Friday's rounds will be based on team standings.

NCAA Championships Central | OU Tournament Notes (PDF)

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD (Golfweek rankings)
Southern California (1)
Alabama (2)
Duke (3)
Oklahoma (4)
Arkansas (5)
UCLA (6)
Purdue (7)
Vanderbilt (8)
Arizona (9)
Stanford (10)
Florida (11)
Arizona State (13)
Oklahoma State (14)
Tulane (15)
Texas (16)
Northwestern (20)
UC Davis (23)
Michigan State (25)
South Carolina (33)
Auburn (35)
Oregon (38)
Mississippi State (45)
San Jose State (53)
Wisconsin (56)

SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 21: OU tees off beginning at 12:58 p.m. ET (hole 1)
Wednesday, May 22: OU tees off beginning at 8:25 a.m. ET (hole 10)
Thursday, May 23: tee times based on standings
Friday, May 24: tee times based on standings

First Round Pairings and Tee Times

STAYING UPDATED
Live scoring for the NCAA Championships will be available at NCAA.com. Follow the Sooners on Twitter at @OU_WomensGolf for updates throughout the tournament.

SOONER LINEUP
1. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Junior): Ranked No. 19 nationally by Golfweek ... Averaging 72.77 strokes per round this season (+0.97) to rank second in school history ... Has finished in top 20 in all 10 events and has seven top-10 showings ... Ranks second in OU history with a 74.36 career scoring average (+2.53) ... Finished third at Big 12 Championship and tied for second at NCAA Central Regional ... 2013 All-Big 12 selection ... Shot a 67 (-5) in Susie Maxwell Berning Classic third round.

2. Emily Collins (Junior): Ranked No. 52 nationally by Golfweek ... Averaging a career-low 73.77 strokes per round this season (+1.97); ranks fourth best in school history ... Has finished in top 20 in seven of her 10 events this year and in top 10 in five tournaments ... Tied for 2nd at NCAA Central Regional with 5-under 211 (led by one stroke heading into final round) ... Shot career-low 67 (-5) in NCAA Central Regional first round ... Competed in 2011 U.S. Women's Open.

3. Chirapat Jao-Javanil (Junior): Defending NCAA individual champion (won 2012 title by four shots) ... No. 8 in World Amateur Golf Rankings ... Owns three of five best single-season scoring averages in school history ... Holds single-season OU records for scoring average (72.13), average vs. par (+0.33 per round) and par-or-better rounds (21); all this year ... Owns school career records for scoring average (73.12) and wins (tied with five) ... Has six top-5 finishes this season in 10 events (two wins, two second-place showings) ... A three-time All-Big 12 Conference selection.

4. Kaitlyn Rohrback (Junior): Ranked No. 104 nationally by Golfweek ... First-year Sooner who transferred from Tennessee after two years in Knoxville ... Averaging a career-low 75.00 strokes per round this season (+3.00) ... Has recorded five top-25 finishes in her eight tournaments this year ... Tied for third place at Alamo Invitational in October with career-best 4-under 212 ... Fired career-best 4-under 68 in Alamo Invitational first round.

5. Taylor Schmidt (Senior): Ranked No. 204 nationally by Golfweek ... Averaging 76.13 strokes per round (+4.33) ... Has competed in all 10 team events and has finished in the top five twice ... Tied for third place at Alamo Invitational in October with a career-best 4-under 212 ... Tied for fifth place at Clover Cup in March with a 1-under 215 ... Shot a career-low 4-under 68 in Alamo Invitational first round ... Tied for 21st place at 2012 NCAA Championships with four-round 294 (+6).

DROUIN-LUTTRELL DIRECTS REMARKABLE TURNAROUND
Veronique Drouin-Luttrell has certainly proven herself in just her fourth season as OU's head coach. After taking over a program that finished in 10th place or worse in half of its events in 2008-09, Drouin has guided OU to top-five showings in 26 of 44 tournaments (59 percent) during her tenure, including in 23 of 32 events (72 percent) over the last three seasons. OU has won seven tournaments under her direction, six in the last two years. The top eight and 12 of the top 14 54-hole totals in school history have come under Drouin-Luttrell. She has presided over the 16 lowest rounds in relation to par in OU annals.
This season, Drouin-Luttrell's Sooners have posted nine top-five finishes in 10 events, including fall victories at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic and the Alamo Invitational, and a win at the Clover Cup this spring.

BEST REGULAR SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Oklahoma's 2012-13 season has been the best in school history. In addition to their program-record-tying three victories, here is a list of more accomplishments:

• OU has posted a school-record eight top-three finishes in 10 tournaments. It has finished in the top two on seven occasions.
• The Sooners entered the season 13th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, and climbed to a school-record No. 2 ranking this spring.
• Oklahoma owns would-be school records for scoring average (292.43; existing record is 296.64), score in relation to par (+5.23 per round; existing record is +8.64), finish percentage (90.7%; existing record is 82.9%), par-4 scoring (4.15), par-5 scoring (4.96) and birdies (387). OU's 11 rounds of par or better are already a program record (previous record was six).
• The three lowest rounds in school history were posted this year: 279 [-9] at Alamo Invitational; 280 [-8] at Susie Maxwell Berning Classic; 281 [-7] at Clover Cup.
• The three lowest 54-hole scores in school history were registered this season: 848 [-16] at Alamo Invitational; 859 [-5] at Susie Maxwell Berning Classic; 862 [-2] at Clover Cup. OU won all three tournaments.

SOONERS IN THE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
Three Sooners are ranked in the top 52 nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin, and five are in the top 204. Leading the way is a quartet of juniors. Chirapat Jao-Javanil is ranked No. 7 and is followed by Anne-Catherine Tanguay (19th), Emily Collins (52nd) and Kaitlyn Rohrback (104th). Senior Taylor Schmidt is ranked No. 204.

JAO-JAVANIL AND TANGUAY 1-2 IN OU CAREER SCORING AVERAGE
Juniors Chirapat Jao-Javanil and Anne-Catherine Tanguay rank first and second in school history in career scoring average. Jao-Javanil, who is No. 8 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, owns a school-record 73.12 (+1.28) average, while Tanguay sports a 74.36 average (+2.53). Each has played in all 32 team events since arriving at OU. Similarly, Jao-Javanil's 72.13 (+0.33) average this season is a would-be school record, while Tanguay's 72.77 (+0.97) stands as the second best season average in school history.

EARLIER THIS YEAR IN ATHENS
The NCAA Championships will mark OU's second time to play the University of Georgia Golf Course this season. The Sooners played in the competitive Liz Murphey Fall Preview in Athens in October and managed a sixth-place tie in a field of 18 teams. Twelve of the 18 squads were ranked in the top 30 at the time of the event. Emily Collins led the Sooners with a 16th-place (+3) finish while Anne-Catherine Tanguay tied for 20th place (+4).

LAST YEAR IN NCAA POSTSEASON PLAY
Last season the Sooners advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2002. OU finished in a school-record-tying sixth place at the NCAA Championships in Franklin, Tenn., as Jao-Javanil became the program's first national champion in women's golf. She shot a four-round 282 (-6) and won by four strokes. Taylor Schmidt and Anne-Catherine Tanguay tied for 21st place, while Emily Collins tied for 117th.