6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008
WOMEN'S GOLF
Photo courtesy of Jeff Jacobson/KU Athletic
Emily Powers, Quincy, Ill., sophomore, puts across the green. The women's golf team will be heading to Stillwater, OH'a., for the Big 12 tournament this weekend. The team will come on a Par 72 golf course.
Big 12 tournament may set schedule for rest of season
BY JOSH BOWE jbowe@kansan.com
After a spring season that contained many ups and downs, the Jayhawk women's golf team is ready to play well in hopefully not their last tournament of the season, at the Big 12 tournament in Stillwater, Okla., at the Karsten Creek Golf Course.
Coach Erin O'Neil said the Par 72 golf course would be the most challenging course the Jayhawks played all year.
"We can't get ahead of ourselves," O'Neil said. "This is one of the best courses in the country." The Jayhawks are hoping their middle of the season swoon will be completely behind them entering this weekend.
"We dug ourselves into a hole," senior Annie Giangrosso said
regarding the team's performance during the middle part of the season. "But there is that pressure to play well, but we are well aware of it."
This is one of the youngest teams in years, but Gianrosso said she didn't think that translated into lower talent. She, in fact, said she thought the opposite.
"I have never been a part of a team so young and talented," she said. "It's impressive. They are mature and skilled beyond their years."
It's that skill that will hopefully propel the Jayhawks into an impressive finish, with the NCAA tournament selection process shortly following the tournament. The process is similar to the men's and women's tournaments with three regions of 21 teams each, for 63 total.
A selection committee determines which teams are allowed to play on by comparing each team whole year including head to head matches and stroke average. In "May Madness" in some sorts.
But with Big 12 teams such as Oklahoma State, Texas and Texa A&M, the course alone won't be the only challenge.
"There are some top teams that come from the Big 12," Giangrosd said. "But we just need to go there and have fun."
O'Neil said being ranked in the Top 50 could give a team little breathing room, but with the Jayhawks currently outside of the cut, they would have to prove the worth on the golf course.
"We've treated every touring the same," O'Neil said. "So that we won't have any added pressure."
Giangrosso hopes to make it to her first regional tournament, but understands the work she has put into the program and the enjoyment she has received from it.
the conference, it made it easier for recruiting, but Giangroso said she loved what O'Neil did to bribe in top young talent like freshman Grace Thiry and sophomore Emily Powers.
"It would be great, but tis has always been our main goal to start each season," Giangrosso said. Just work hard, out with the level of competition it gets to get tougher and tougher to make it to regions."
"There are a ton of unsigned international recruits, and that's what coach does." Gian grosso said. "If she can keep bringing in recruits internationally this program will be fine."
For those schools the top
"The key for any team on this course is how you putt, these are the fastest greens we've played on," Giangrosso said.
A team that would know this especially would be Oklahoma State, who has a huge advantage as this course was built for them to play on, but along with Powers Giangrosso understands what can happen when this team is firing on all cylinders.
As for what the team needs to accomplish to be successful this weekend, besides being cool and composed as O'Neil stated, is to work on the short game.
"If everyone plays up to their abilities there is no reason we can't be in 'the top three or four', Giangrosso said. "We just need to put in three good rounds."
—Edited by Samuel Lamb
》 MEN'S GOLF
Team ready for Big 12 match
BY BRYAN WHFELER
bwheeler@kansan.com
The men's golf team will compete for the Big 12 Championship today in Trinity, Texas. The 72-hole tournament will take place at Whispering Pines Golf Club (par72, 7,249 yards) and lasts through Sunday.
After a 10th place finish in last year's event, the Jayhawks hope to finish the spring season strong.
"It will be a good test for us on a pretty hard golf course," said conch Kit Grove in a press release on Wednesday. "The weather should be pretty good all weekend, but the course has been lengthened since the last time we have seen it."
"We are looking for a good finish in the top half of the standings.
freshman Brad Hopfinger said.
Hopfinger has led the team this year with a scoring average of 72.93. Joined by freshman Nate Barbee, the duo has combined
Hopfinger
for six top-20 finishes this year
Also competing for the lajahws are juniors Walt Koelbel and Zach Pederson, and sophomore Patrick Roth. Koelbel led the team last year with a ninth place finish.
Kansas has not won the Big 12 Men's Golf Championship since 1999.
—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina
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ROCK CHALK
CHAMPIONS