Texas A&M women’s golf competed in the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Oklahoma this past weekend, ending the tournament in sixth place at eight-under par and marking their best 54-hole score since 2015.
Sophomore Amber Park ended the tournament at 11-under par, breaking the school’s 54-hole scoring record. Alabama went on to win the tournament with an NCAA record score of 45-under par.
“It was great to see consistent effort throughout the tournament,” A&M head coach Andrea Gaston told 12thman.com. “We had steady and consistent performance all three days. I’m very happy to see Amber’s highest finish as an Aggie, as she put up some incredible scores all three days against a very competitive field. I am proud of the way the freshmen played, and am excited to build on our momentum headed to our next event.”
With her 11-under par finish, Park earned a career-best third place finish. She played at a high level all weekend, firing in the 60 range in all three rounds. The second-year player was tied for the lead after opening with a five-under par 66 in the first round, and closed out the weekend with rounds of 67 and 69. Park was tied for first in par 4 scoring seven-under par, and tied for third in total birdies with 14 for the weekend.
“I was able to stay in the moment, and take my game one hole at a time,” Park told 12thman.com. “I had a slow start today, with putts not really dropping like the previous two days. Coach Gaston gave me a few words of encouragement that helped turn around my game, and I started attacking more pins. It was a lot of fun out there.”
Freshman Brooke Tyree was the next best finisher for the Aggies, ending in a tie for 32nd at even par. The freshman was one of a handful of players to record an eagle this weekend, and played solid golf, sandwiching a career-best round of 70 between rounds of 72 and 71.
“I did a good job of staying level-headed and not getting ahead of myself today,” Tyree told 12thman.com. “I’m not hitting the ball that well right now, so I had to rely on my short game to keep me in it.”
Fellow freshman Katie Finley, made her collegiate debut this weekend, finishing at two-over par in a tie for 38th. Finley was back competing in her home state where she was the winner of the 2017 Oklahoma 3A Championship and the top recruit coming out of high school. She closed out the tournament with two rounds of even par.
“It was a great first tournament to play in,” Finley told 12thman.com. “I’m excited to keep going this season and see what our team can accomplish.”
Junior Courtney Dow finished the tournament at eight-over par in a tie for 56th, managing to card a round of even par on Sunday after two rounds of 75. Ava Schwienteck rounded out the Aggies’ team this weekend, finishing in a tie for 68th at 12-over par. The sophomore fought back from a disastrous round of 83 on Friday, firing a career-best 68 in the second round on Saturday, followed by a 74 on Sunday.
“This week really showed our potential, and what we can do together as a team,” Schwienteck told 12thman.com. “This tournament is just the beginning and it’s going to be exciting to see what the rest of the season brings.”
The Aggies will be back in action on Oct. 19 as they travel to Austin to compete in the Betsy Rawls Invitational.