The No. 76 ranked BYU women’s golf team finished the opening round of the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship tied for seventh place with an 8-over-par score of 296, according to an April 23 announcement from Dallas Athletic Club.
The tournament is significant as it brings together top collegiate teams, with strong performances needed to advance in standings over the next two rounds.
Head coach Carrie Roberts said, “It was a decent start. We are in a decent position, but need a good moving day tomorrow. The girls are doing a really good job of keeping their composure and staying super decisive and committed.” The Cougars led all teams in Par 3 scoring and recorded the third-most birdies during the round. Three BYU players placed inside the top-25 after day one.
Ava Schroeder ended her first round tied for fourth place by shooting a 1-under-par 71, making her one of only eight golfers to finish below par on Thursday and just two strokes behind the leader. “I did a good job adjusting to the wind committing to some uncomfortable shots,” Schroeder said. “The part of my game that was best was probably my irons. I was able to place the ball in spots that gave myself opportunities. The main emphasis for me and from my coaches is to stick to my process, and stay focused in the present, committing to one shot at a time and doing my very best.” Lily McCauley shared seventeenth at one-over par after finishing with five birdies—the most among her teammates—while Maria Jose “MJ” Barragan carded two-over-par for twenty-third place.
Houston led all teams at three-under par after eighteen holes, followed by UCF at one-under as reported in Thursday’s results; Iowa State and Oklahoma State were tied for third at five-over par each while Arizona State rounded out the top five at six-over par through one round.
Whitney Banz and Kanyanol (Naji) Aramkul both completed their rounds six over par, sharing fifty-fourth position on Thursday’s leaderboard. BYU will continue play Friday morning on Dallas Athletic Club’s Gold Course.
