by LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech women’s golf team claimed its first tournament title of the 2017-18 season Sunday as the Red Raiders won the Lady Boilermaker Classic by eight strokes at the Ackerman-Allen Golf Course in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The tournament title marked the 24th for the Red Raiders since 1990 alone and the 12th under JoJo Robertson, which is already the most by a head coach in program history. Tech had not previously finished atop the leaderboard since the 2016 Henssler Financial Intercollegiate.
The Red Raiders, who came into Sunday with an 11-stroke lead, fired a 6-over-par 294 for a second-straight round to close the tournament at 8-over 872 overall, eight strokes better than No. 21 Purdue in second place and 28 swings in front of third place Augusta.
“I am so proud of this team,” Robertson said. “They showed how tough they were today. The conditions were hard, and they fought through it all day. I couldn’t be happier for them right now.”
In addition to the team title, Gabby Barker (Shoshone/Paiute) also secured medalist honors as she pulled away for the individual crown following a 2-under 70 final round that pushed her to 3-under for the tournament. Barker was the lone golfer in the 35-player field to finish under-par for the weekend.
Barker added to her already school record for tournament wins as she earned medalist honors for the fourth time in her career. She previously won twice in 2015 at the Jim West Challenge and Red Raider Invitational as well as the 2016 Henssler Financial Intercollegiate.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, recorded the highest finish of her collegiate career as she signed a 4-over card to move into a tie for second place with Northern Illinois’ Brielle ward. Yamamoto, who came into the round as the individual leader, ended the weekend at 2-over, topping her previous best finish of fifth which came earlier this year at the Trinity Forest Invitational.
Yamamoto was just one stroke better than Louisa Brunt, who similarly notched her highest finish of her young career following an even-par final round. Brunt closed the weekend in a tie for fourth overall at 3-over for the tournament, marking her first career top-10 showing.
Amy Taylor completed Tech’s team total with a 4-over card that pushed her into a tie for 13th overall. Lauren Mason rounded out the lineup with a 5-over card that moved her into 10th place, marking her fifth-straight tournament to rank among the top-20 individuals.
The tournament title will hopefully give Tech some momentum heading into next weekend’s Big 12 Championships in Dallas. The three-day tournament begins Friday morning at the Dallas Athletic Club.
