Another top-3 win further boosted the Texas A&M women’s golf team’s resume.
In the Schooner Classic two-day tournament, hosting 15 teams from across the nation, A&M women’s golf took second overall. Fernandez Garcia-Poggio finished third and sophomore Zoe Slaughter tied for seventh.
On day one, Fernandez Garcia-Poggio skyrocketed 21 spots in the first round, securing a seat in the top-five. On the second 18 of the day, the junior shot a 2-under 68 with three birdies in the back nine. Slaughter was tied for 19th heading into the final round, with junior Jennie Park also holding a spot in the top-25. At the end of day one, the Aggies sat tied in third with Florida State with 21 birdies and 125 parred holes — the second most of any team on the course.
The outcomes of day one set the framework for a good finish on day two, first-year head coach Gerrod Chadwell said.
“I thought we looked good out of the gate this morning,” Chadwell said. “We were a bit fatigued this afternoon, and combined with the wind, we had some scores really get inflated, but I was proud of the way we battled all day.”
On day two, Fernandez Garcia-Poggio shot a 3-under with rounds of 71-68-68, 12 birdies and 33 parred holes, placing her in third. This is the junior’s second top-three finish of the season. Slaughter shot up 12 places with a 1-over 211 finish, securing her fourth top-ten finish in her career. Park moved up to tie for 15th — her best collegiate career finish.
In the end, the maroon and white lost only to Oklahoma State — last year’s national runner up — and defeated three teams in the top-25 ranking, including No. 7 Baylor. The Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and Slaughter duo became the first A&M pair to hit top-ten since Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and Senior Brooke Tyree on Oct. 21, 2019, at the Jim West Challenge. Additionally, the program took its highest-record win at second overall and secured its second-straight top-four finish, last seen in the 2014-2015 campaign.
“I was proud of them for how they responded after yesterday,” Chadwell said. “We gutted it out and went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma State all day long. It showed me a lot of what we are made of. All of our girls haven’t been in that position in a long time, so I thought we looked extremely tough today. To battle with them all day and pull out a runner-up finish was great.”
The Aggies return to the Jim West Challenge from Oct. 17 to Oct. 18 in San Marcos.
