Soo Claims Top-20 Finish at NCAA Championships

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma junior Julienne Soo closed her time at the NCAA Women's Golf Championships with an even-par 72 on Monday. Soo carded five birdies on the final day of stroke play to finish the four-round tournament in a tie for 19th place with a 291 (+3) at the par-72, 6,328-yard Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.

The tournament's top 15 teams played one final round of stroke play Monday to determine an individual national champion and seeding for the eight-team match play bracket. Although the Sooners had finished in 20th place through three rounds and did not make the cut, Soo qualified to play in the final round as one of the top nine individuals on a non-advancing team.

"Making the last round is always such an honor," said Soo. "Karsten Creek is such a good course to play at so one extra round always helps a little bit more...These are the best golfers in college and many of them are going to go on to play in the LPGA and do great things with golf, so it was really cool to be a part of that and see where I stand right now and hopefully where I'll be heading next season in my senior year."

Hailing from South Yarra, Australia, Soo had opened her time at the NCAA Championships with a 76 (+4) on Friday but shot par-or-better in her three remaining rounds. Her finish was the second highest of the 16 Big 12 golfers in the field, coming behind only Emma Broze of Oklahoma State, who was playing on her home course.

Soo is the third Sooner to secure a top-20 finish in the individual standings at the NCAA Championships during head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell's tenure, joining Alexandra Kaui (2014) and Chirapat Jao-Javanil (2013 and 2012).

With her score at the NCAA Championships, Soo finishes her season with a stroke average of 72.27 - tied with Jao-Javanil's 2012-13 campaign (both golfers took exactly 2,457 shots in 34 rounds).