by By Michah Thompson, soonersports.com
NORMAN – The No. 20 Oklahoma women’s golf team completed the Schooner Fall Classic with an 852 (E) for a fourth-place finish. The 12-team event was held at the par-71, 5,939-yard Belmar Golf Club.
The Sooners sat at +2 for the third round, but an eagle from Julienne Soo on hole 18 set the Sooners at even for the round and the tournament. Florida State dominated the field, firing an 829 (-23), a Schooner Fall Classic course record. No. 1 Alabama grabbed second place at 841 (-11), and Clemson finished in third at 3 under.
Hannah Wood set the tone for the Sooners, logging a three-round 209 (-4) to finish in seventh place out of 64 competitors at the event. The junior registered a 69 (-2) on Sunday, marking her fifth par-or-better round of the season.
“It was super nice to be at home this weekend,” Wood said. “We had the best volunteers and friends and family who came out. We had great support this weekend. This is our home track, and everything about this tournament is a great experience. We have a lot to look forward to this season.”
Soo produced the best tournament of her career, firing a 212 (-1) for the event, her first under-par 54-hole score. The sophomore, who finished in a tie for 12th place, sat at 4 over on the day before her eagle on hole 18 to put her at 73 (+2) for round three.
“It’s super exciting to end like that,” Soo said. “I was struggling a little bit in the wind. It was definitely harder conditions, but the coaches were there for me through the last three holes helping me, and I had just missed my putts for birdie on 16 and 17, so I knew something was coming up. The last putt I had the perfect read and it went in. I really wanted to finish under par, and fortunately that last putt put me under. It shows that it’s not over until it’s over.”
Valerie Tanguay finished in 17th place with a three-round 213 (E). The junior fired a 70 (-1) on Sunday, marking her second under-par round of the tournament.
Sophomore Ana Ruiz recorded a75 (+4) in the third round for a 221 (+8) in the event to share 34th place, and classmate Rylee Pedigo finished in a tie for 45th after logging a three-round 225 (+12). Pedigo saved her best round for last, carding a 72 (+1) on Sunday.
“The last couple of years we’ve struggle a little bit, but none of these girls have ever given up,” OU head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell said. “They work and work and work, and they know that the hard work is going to pay off, and obviously good things are happening for us this year. We’ve been playing well and I know the girls are going to keep working hard in practices to keep this momentum going.”
Seniors Haley Hill and Maggie Neece, sophomore Karen Arimoto and freshman Sydney Youngblood (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) played as individuals in the tournament and were unattached from team scoring.
Youngblood led the individuals, firing a 54-hole 216 (+3) to share 21st place. The freshman pocketed three birdies in Sunday’s final round for a 70 (-1).
Neece registered a 79 (+8) on Sunday to finish in a tie for 60th at 237 (+24), and Hill finished in 60th at 243 (+30). Arimoto shot an 84 (+13) in the final round for a 255 (+42) and a 64th-place finish.
The Sooners return to the course on Oct. 9-10 in The Woodlands, Texas, for the Jim West Challenge at the Carleton Woods Golf Club.
