Even though Texas had played some golf in the fall portion of the wraparound 2020-2021 season when many programs were still shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Longhorns never seemed to find a groove.
Agathe Laisne, a talented senior from France and No. 16 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), stayed in Europe during the fall, winning a pair of Ladies European Tour Access events.
Then there was the U.S. Women’s Open, rescheduled from June to mid-December at Champions Golf Club in Houston due to, what else, the pandemic.. Laisne and her teammate, Kaitlyn Papp, a senior home girl from Austin, Texas and the second highest-ranked American on the Women’s WAGR at No. 8, both earned spots in the field due to their high rankings.
Laisne missed the cut, but Papp displayed every bit of her Texas toughness, playing in the final group of the day in Saturday’s third round and finishing in a tie for ninth place with one Ariya Jutanugarn. Papp was the low amateur and got a lot of deserved attention.
When the spring portion of the 2020-’21 season arrived, Papp spent a weekend at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Fla. for a practice session for prospects for the U.S. team for the rescheduled Curtis Cup Match, which will be played in August at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales.
It probably didn’t help matters when there was an epic invasion of Arctic cold that shut down most of the state of Texas for a week in February. Texas is No. 31 in the latest Golfstat rankings. That’s about to go up.
Finally whole, the Longhorns showed up at the Wildcat Invitational, hosted by Arizona, this week at the Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz. and blew away the loaded field by 25 shots. Texas opened with a 13-under-par 275 in the first round of Monday’s double round over the 6,627-yard, par-72 Sewailo layout. After slipping a little with a 1-under 287 in Monday afternoon’s second round, the Longhorns went off again in Tuesday’s final round with a sizzling 14-under 274 that gave them a 28-under 836 total.
The final round was the second-best 18-hole round in relation to par in program history and their 836 total was the third-best 54-hole score in program history. They’ve had some really strong teams over the years at Texas.
Sara Kouskova, a junior from the Czech Republic, and Laisne finished 1-2, respectively, in the individual standings. Kouskova sandwiched a 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 4-under 68s for a 10-under 206 total.
Laisne opened with a 68, but stumbled to a 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round before contributing a scintillating eight-birdie 6-under 66 to the Longhorns’ explosive final round. It still wasn’t enough to catch her teammate Kouskova as Laisne settled for a share of second place with Oregon’s Cynthia Lu, a freshman from Taiwan and No. 49 in the Women’s WAGR, three shots behind Kouskova at 7-under 209.
Texas’ Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, ranked No. 8, didn’t play poorly, but the Cowgirls couldn’t keep up with the Longhorns. Oklahoma State opened with a 1-under 287 and added a 2-under 286 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 288 for a 3-under 861 total, 25 shots behind Texas.
No. 11 Southern California, out of the Pac-12, finished just a shot behind Oklahoma State in third place at 2-under 862. The Trojans got off to a strong start with a 9-under 279 in the opening round, but couldn’t maintain that momentum. Southern Cal added a 3-over 291 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 292.
Southern Cal started a parade of Pac-12 teams in the team standings as No. 21 Oregon took fourth place, host Arizona, ranked 28th, was fifth and No. 48 Oregon State landed in sixth.
The Ducks opened with a 5-under 283 and added a 7-over 295 before matching par in the final round with a 288 that left them with a 2-over 866 total, four shots behind Southern Cal. Arizona actually matched Texas’ blazing start with a 13-under 275 of its own, but couldn’t keep it up as the Wildcats struggled to a 313 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-over 290 that left them 12 shots behind Oregon at 14-over 878. Oregon State opened with a 1-over 289 and added an 11-over 299 in Monday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 4-over 292 that left the Beavers two shots behind Arizona at 16-over 880.
Another Big 12 entry, No. 36 Iowa State, finished another two shots behind Oregon State in seventh place in the 16-team field, two shots behind the Beavers at 18-over 882. The Cyclones opened with a 4-over 292 and added an 8-over 296 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 6-over 294.
Backing up the top two for Texas was Ashley Park, a freshman from Irvine, Calif. who finished alone in fifth place at 5-under 211. Park opened with a 73 and added a 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before contributing a 5-under 67 to the Longhorns’ red-hot finish.
Papp, teeing it up for the first time this spring, contributed a sparkling 6-under 66 to Texas’ fast start. She cooled off a little with a pair of 73s to finish in a tie for sixth place with Oklahoma State’s Isabella Fierro, a talented sophomore from Mexico, and Oregon’s Briana Chacon, a sophomore from Whittier, Calif., at 4-under 212. It gave Texas four finishers among the top six. The Longhorns were clearly a better team with Papp in the lineup.
Rounding out the Texas lineup was Sophie Guo, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla. who finished in a tie for 36th place at 8-over 224. After opening with a 78, Guo registered a pair of 1-over 73s. Guo’s second-round 73 was a counter for the Longhorns.
Oregon’s Lu opened with a 5-under 67 and added a 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 3-under 69 to get her share of second place with Laisne at 7-under.
Southern California’s Allisen Corpuz, a graduate student from Honolulu, Hawaii and No. 12 in the Women’s WAGR, finished a shot behind Laisne and Lu in fourth place at 6-under 210. Corpuz, who returned for a fifth year after the NCAA offered an extra year of eligibility for those who lost the spring of their senior season to the pandemic, led Kouskova by a shot heading into Tuesday’s final round as Corpuz added a 69 to her opening round of 4-under 68. Corpuz cooled off with a final-round 73.
Corpuz was also at the U.S. Curtis Cup team audition at Lake Nona along with Papp at the end of January.
Oklahoma State’s Fierro, winner of the prestigious North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst’s iconic No. 2 Course as a 16-year-old in 2017, sandwiched a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of even-par 72s to get a piece of sixth place. Oregon’s Chacon joined Fierro and Papp at 4-under as she added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72 before closing with a 3-under 69.
UNLV’s Samantha Fuller, a senior from England, also closed with a 3-under 69 to finish alone in ninth place at 3-under 213. Fuller had opened with a 2-under 70 before adding a 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round.
Southern Cal’s Amelia Garvey, a senior from New Zealand and No. 24 in the Women’s WAGR, rounded out the top 10 as she finished a shot behind Fuller in 10th place at 2-under 214. Garvey, who lost in the final of The Women’s Amateur Championship at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland in 2019, opened with a 3-under 69 and cooled off in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 75 before finishing up with a 70.
Oklahoma State sophomore Maja Stark, one of the many talented Swedes in Division I women’s golf and No. 7 in the Women’s WAGR, finished in a tie for 11th place with Denver’s Katarina Drocarova, a freshman from Slovenia, each landing on 1-under 215. Stark matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 73 before closing with a 2-under 70. Drocarova opened with a 1-under 71 and struggled a little with a 4-over 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round before signing for a 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s final round.
Stark had a pretty strong showing in that December U.S. Women’s Open at Champions, finishing in a tie for 13th place.
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