by NORMAN – No. 10 Oklahoma women’s golf tied for sixth place at the Schooner Fall Classic at Belmar Golf Club in Norman. The Sooners shot a final-round score of 282 (-2), totaling a 54-hole 854 (+2) at the par-71 6,046-yard course.
“We had a solid start to our round that helped us improve,” said OU head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell. “This week had the extra pressure of wanting to play well at home, and I think having to face that pressure will make our team stronger. We had a lot of good experiences this week that will help us throughout the season.”
No. 3 Alabama won the event by shooting a 21-under 831 – 17 strokes ahead of second-place Clemson (848, -4). Alabama’s Kristen Gillman shot 13-under over the three rounds to take the individual title (200).
Junior Julienne Soo and redshirt freshman Sydney Youngblood (Choctaw) led the Sooners in the final round by each carding a 69 (-2). Youngblood tied for 36th at 217 (+4) while Soo captured her second-straight top-10 finish, tying for ninth place with a 3-under 210. Soo has finished at or below par in nine of her last 13 tournaments.
Freshman Kaitlin Milligan, making her first tournament start for the Sooners, fired a 1-under 70 in the final round to finish the tournament at 1-under (212) and tied for 16th place. A graduate of Norman North, Milligan is the first OU freshman to earn a top-20 finish since current seniors Ana Ruiz and Hannah Wood in 2014.
Ruiz tied for 47th place at 220 (+7) and senior Valerie Tanguay tied for 52nd with a 221 (+8).
Three Sooners competed individually during the home event, led by Wood’s sixth-place finish. Wood closed her final Schooner Fall Classic with a 1-under 70 to total 209 (-4) to secure her 10th career top-10 finish.
Freshman Hannah Lee, making her Sooner debut, tied for 36th with a 217 (+4) and junior Karen Arimoto tied for 61st (225, +12).
Hosted in partnership with the Toby Keith Foundation, the Schooner Fall Classic is a unique tournament that ties in a community service element for all participating student-athletes and coaches. Following Saturday’s opening round, the golfers and staff members had the opportunity to interact with children staying at OK Kids Korral in Oklahoma City.
The Toby Keith Foundation works to encourage the health and happiness of pediatric cancer patients and their families through OK Kids Korral, which is a cost-free, comfortable home for pediatric patients receiving treatment. All proceeds from the Schooner Fall Classic benefit The Toby Keith Foundation.
The Sooners are back in action October 9-10 at The Betsy Rawls in Austin, Texas.
