Kansas women’s golf adapts to unusual weather to end season

The Kansas women’s golf team finished 10th in this weekend’s Big 12 Championship at Lawrence Country Club.

Sophomore Thanuttra Boonraksasat and junior Audrey Yowell led the team by finishing tied for 30th. Inclement weather conditions caused delayed tee times and a short delay during third round play Sunday.

“The course held up great, especially today,” coach Erin O’Neil said. “I think we got an inch and a half or rain in a short period of time. When we went back out, it was pretty dry. The greens were rolling well. It held up pretty nicely.”

Multiple rain delays made it difficult for players to stay focused while waiting in the clubhouse. To occupy time in the clubhouse during the delay, Coach O’Neil and the players worked on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

“It kept them occupied,” O’Neil said. They were thinking about the puzzle not how long the delay was or what would happen next. It worked out pretty well.”

The Jayhawks didn’t have time to finish the puzzle before heading back into the breezy conditions. Senior Katy Nugent struggled with the wind early in the tournament; shooting an 88 on day one before finishing the tournament with a 79 and 75 placing her in a tie for 39th with a total score of 242 on the weekend.

“She finished strong today,” O’Neil said. “She had a couple of funky shots here and there, but she still managed to pull a par out a lot of the time, which she’s really good at. She did a great job.”

Nugent struggled with ball striking early in the tournament. She said in Friday’s round she hit a tee shot that started on the left side of the fairway and landed in the second cut of rough on the right side.

“I really struggled with my ball striking,” Nugent said. “Anytime the wind is blowing like that you don’t know where it’s going and it’s really tough. It got a lot better in the last two days. The wind made a big difference.”

Nugent became the senior leader in the spring season; helping a young squad, featuring four freshmen, develop.

“They’ve made great strides this year,” Nugent said. “I’m confident they’re going to come out playing really well next year. The team has a lot of talent. Everyone has their head in the right place and it’s been a fun year.”

For Nugent, finishing her career at the Big 12 tournament provided an opportunity to play in front of many friends and family members.

“It was great finishing up at home.” Nugent said. “It was cool to have a lot of our support staff and administration out there this week.”

Oklahoma won the team tournament with a score of 904. Texas A&M’s Mary Michael Maggio won the individual tournament with a score of nine-over par.

Kansas sophomore Meghan Potee finished 42nd with a total of 243, and freshman Gabby DiMarco finished 50th with a 253.

Edited by Tanvi Nimkar

• Updated Apr. 29, 2012 at 3:49 am