by LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech women’s golfer Gabby Barker (Shoshone-Paiute) named the Big 12 Golfer of the Month on Wednesday after the sophomore recorded a pair of first-place finishes during the month of October.
This is the first career honor for Barker, who is the first Lady Raider to garner Big 12 Golfer of the Month honors since teammate Kimmy Hill received the accolade on Dec. 4, 2014.
Barker, a native of Caldwell, Idaho, claimed both the Jim West Challenge and the Betsy Rawls Invitational titles during the month of October, the first tournament victories in her collegiate career. She closed the month with six sub-par rounds for a 70.88 strokes average.
In just the second tournament of the season, Baker carded a 5-under 211, which tied for the fourth-lowest 54-hole score in program history and the lowest since Elin Arvidsson recorded a 208 at the 2013 Challenge at Onion Creek. The performance placed Barker in a tie atop the leaderboard with Kent State’s Michaela Finn.
Barker followed two weeks later with another memorable performance at the Betsy Rawls Invitational where she once again posted another 211 final card. It was the third-lowest score at the event since 2010 while her first-place finish marked the first time a Lady Raider had ever won the tournament.
The tournament victory pushed Barker to the top spot in the GolfStat computer rankings, a position she held for two-consecutive weeks. Barker is just the second Lady Raider to ever climb to GolfStat’s No. 1 ranking, joining current LPGA professional Kim Kaufman who accomplished the feat on Nov. 13, 2012.
Barker and the Lady Raiders resume the 2015-16 season in February at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. The three-day tournament begins Feb. 14 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
