Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Golfers Prepare for Big 12 Championships
April 19, 2003 | Cowgirl Golf
Oklahoma State's 3rd-ranked
Women's Golf Team at the
Big 12 Championships
Mon-Wed, April 21-23
Country Club of Missouri
Columbia, Mo.
54-hole stroke play
par 72 • 6,008 yards
No., Name Class Height Handed Rds-Stks Average 1. Annie Thurman So. 5-4 Right 23-1717 74.65 2. Karin Sjodin Fr. 5-8 Right 23-1726 75.04 3. Linda Wessberg Sr. 5-9 Right 23-1732 75.30 4. Christi Cano Sr. 5-2 Right 23-1742 75.74 5. Jenny Karr So. 5-8 Right 20-1533 76.65
Cowgirls to Compete in Big 12 Championships
Oklahoma State’s Cowgirl Golf team will travel to Columbia, Mo., this week to compete in the seventh-annual Big 12 Golf Championships. The tournament will be held at the Country Club of Missouri on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21-23. OSU will serve as the two-time defending champion at the tournament, having won the 2002 championship by three strokes over Oklahoma and the 2001 title by six strokes over runnerup Texas. Oklahoma State has won three of the six Big 12 Championships, and has won 17 conference titles in all. The Cowgirls will compete in Group 3 on Friday along with Oklahoma and Baylor. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. each day on the 6,008-yard, par 72 course.
Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Tournament
Oklahoma State’s women’s golf team has finished in the top five in all six Big 12 Championships, including victories in 1999, 2001 and 2002. All three years that OSU won the team title, a Cowgirl won individual medalist honors as well. In both 1999 and 2001, Maria Bodén won the individual title and, last season, Emma Zackrisson took home the individual trophy.
OSU vs. the Field
Oklahoma State is 10-2 overall vs. the Big 12 opponents this season, good for an 83.3 winning percentage. OSU is undefeated vs. Oklahoma (4-0), Kansas, Missouri and Texas A&M (1-0). The Cowgirls are also 3-2 vs. Texas. Over the last three years — the Amy Weeks’ era — Oklahoma State is an impressive 91-16 (.850 percent) vs. the Big 12 Conference. That includes a 46-7 mark in 2000-01 and a 35-7 record last season. OSU’s schedule this season saw just five Big 12 opponents.
Trio of Cowgirls Earn Academic Accolades
Jenny Karr, a sophomore for the OSU Cowgirls, has been named first-team Academic All-Big 12, it was announced Wednesday. Fellow sophomore Annie Thurman and senior Linda Wessberg have been named to the second team. The honor is Wessberg’s second such accolade.
OSU Achieves No. 1 Ranking
For the first time since, 1987, Oklahoma State achieved the top spot in the national rankings this season. Last fall, the Cowgirls were ranked No. 1 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Peformance Index released on Oct. 1. It was the second time in school history that the team has reached the top spot. The Cowgirls achieved a No. 1 ranking following a 33-stroke win in the Big Eight Championships in the spring of 1987.
Cowgirls Earn Monthly Big 12 Award
A pair of Oklahoma State golfers earned Big 12 Golfer of the Month awards. Freshman Karin Sjödin was named Big 12 Golfer for the month of September as she won the TOPY Cup and finished fifth at the NCAA Fall Preview. Sophomore Jenny Karr was named Big 12 Golfer for the month of March with her 14th-place finish at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic and eighth-place outing at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational.
Cowgirls Rank High in the Big 12
Oklahoma State has all five starters ranked in the top-20 individually in the Big 12 Conference based on stroke average. Sophomore Annie Thurman leads the Cowgirls, ranked third with a 74.65 strokes-per-round average. Freshman Karin Sjödin and senior Linda Wessberg rank seventh and eighth, respectively. Senior Christi Cano ranks 14th individually, and sophomore Jenny Karr rounds out the OSU starting five ranked 19th.
OSU Enjoys National Success
Oklahoma State is one of four schools nationally that has all five starters ranked in the top-100 individually, according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. Sophomore Annie Thurman ranks 25th nationally with a 72.92 rating. Freshman Karin Sjödin ranks 33rd, while senior Linda Wessberg is 41st. Senior Christi Cano ranks 67th, while sophomore Jenny Karr ranks 98th. The only other schools to have all five golfers ranked in the top-100 nationally are Duke, California and Vanderbilt.
OSU at the Conference Tournament
In the 27-year history of the Big Eight/Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma State has won the team title an impressive 17 times, including six consecutive from 1984-89. Eighteen Cowgirls have won individual medalist honors, including nine consecutive from 1982-90. In the 27-yard history of the event, OSU has never finished lower than fifth place, and has had 23 champion or runnerup finishes.
2002 Big 12 Championships Recap
Oklahoma State led from start to finish at last year’s Big 12 Championships, taking a 13 stroke lead after carding a 293 during the first round. OSU made it interesting the second day, leading by eight after two rounds. But, in the end, the Cowgirls won the team and individual title as senior Emma Zackrisson carded a 223 and won by one stroke. Christi Cano finished sixth, Annie Thurman finished 13th, Linda Wessberg 17th and Jenny Karr 27th.
Conference Championships in Columbia
Columbia has been host to just two conference championships. The first was in 1984, when the Cowgirls won the Big Eight title by 25 strokes and Robin Hood garnered individual medalist honors. The only other Big Eight Championship to be held in Columbia was in 1991, when Oklahoma won the team title by three strokes over the Cowgirls, despite a tournament-best 298 during the final round by OSU. Cowgirl Charlotta Eliasson finished second as the OSU top finisher that year.
