Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Golfers Set To Defend Big 12 Title
April 23, 2004 | Cowgirl Golf
Eighth-ranked
Oklahoma State
at the Big 12 Championships
QUICK FACTS
Fri-Sun, April 23-25
Pebble Creek Country Club
College Station, Texas
54-hole stroke play
par 72 • 6,242 yards
Oklahoma State Golfers
No., Name Class Height Handed Rds-Stks Average 1. Karin Sjödin So. 5-8 Right 21-1576 75.05 2. Annie Thurman Jr. 5-4 Right 24-1811 75.46 3. Ashley Knoll Fr. 5-9 Right 24-1812 75.50 4. Mallorie Underwood Fr. 5-7 Right 18-1367 75.94 5. Candy Herrera Fr. 5-5 Right 12-916 76.33
Cowgirls to Compete in Big 12 Championships
Oklahoma State's Cowgirl Golf team will travel to College Station, Texas, this week to compete in the eighth-annual Big 12 Golf Championships. The tournament will be held at the Pebble Creek Country Club on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 23-25. OSU will serve as the three-time defending champion at the tournament, having won the 2003 tournament by one stroke over Missouri, the 2002 championship by three strokes over Oklahoma, and the 2001 title by six strokes over runnerup Texas. Oklahoma State has won four of the seven Big 12 Championships, and has won 18 conference titles in all. The Cowgirls will compete in Group 3 on Friday along with Texas A&M and Kansas. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. each day on the 6,242-yard, par 72 course.
Satellite Coordinates
The Big 12 Conference will provide a televised highlight package for the Big 12 Women's Golf Championships. The satellite coordinates for the Championships will be available on Sunday, April 25, from 5 - 5:15 p.m. central time. The highlights can be picked up on C-band, Galaxy 3, Transponder 7.
Cowgirls Earn Academic Accolades
A pair of Oklahoma State Cowgirls were named first-team Academic All-Big 12, it was announced Tuesday by the league office. Junior Jenny Karr and sophomore Karin Sjödin both earned first-team accolades. Karr, earning her second-consecutive naming, is majoring in American studies, and will graduate in May. Sjödin is undeclared on her major at Oklahoma State, and earned the award for the first time this season.
Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Tournament
Oklahoma State's women's golf team has finished in the top five in all seven Big 12 Championships, including victories in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003. In three of the four 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, in 2002, Emma Zackrisson took home the individual trophy. Karin Sjödin finished tied for second at last year's tournament.
OSU vs. the Field
Oklahoma State is 7-1-1 overall vs. the Big 12 opponents this season, good for an 83.3 winning percentage. OSU is undefeated vs. Texas (3-0-1 ... the tie was in the Hooter's Collegiate Match Play Championship); as well as Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech (1-0). The Cowgirls are 1-1 vs. Oklahoma, with the lone loss coming in the NCAA Fall Preview to open the season. Over the last four years — the Amy Weeks' era — Oklahoma State is an impressive 110-18-1 (85.7 percent) vs. the Big 12 Conference. That includes a 46-7 mark in 2000-01, a 35-7 record in 2001-02 and a 22-3 mark last season. OSU's schedule this season saw just five Big 12 opponents.
Cowgirls Rank High in the Big 12
Based on the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Ratings Index, the Cowgirls rank among the best in the Big 12 individually. Karin Sjödin ranks 31st nationally and is second in the Big 12 to Texas' Janice Olivencia (ranked 29th nationally). Annie Thurman is fourth (44th nationally), while Ashley Knoll is fifth (48th). Mallorie Underwood ranks ninth in the Big 12 and 64th nationally, while Jenny Karr ranks 15th in the league and 104th nationally. Candy Herrera, who has played in four tournaments, would rank 14th in the league and 99th nationally if she met the required minimum of five tournaments played in.
Thurman Named to U.S. Curtis Cup Team
Annie Thurman is one of eight golfers representing the United States in the 33rd Curtis Cup match The U.S. squad will face a team from Great Britain and Ireland at Formby Golf Club in Merseyside, England, June 12-13. Played every other year, the U.S. team has won the last three matches in 1998, 2000 and 2002. The United States also leads the series, begun in 1932, by a 23-6-3 margin. Freshman Ashley Knoll is one of three alternates for the Curtis Cup squad.
Coming Up
Oklahoma State will compete in one of three NCAA Regional sites, May 8-10. A total of 21 teams and three individuals will be selected to compete at each regional. The three regional sites are: East Regional — Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.; Central Regional — University Golf Course, Normal, Ill.; West Regional — Stanford Golf Course, Stanford, Calif. The top-eight teams and top-two individuals not affiliated with those eight teams at each regional site will advance to the NCAA Championships. The national championship event will be held at the Grand National Lake Course in Auburn, Ala., May 18-21.
OSU at the Big 12 Tournament
In the 28-year history of the Big Eight/Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma State has won the team title an impressive 18 times, including six consecutive from 1984-89. Eighteen Cowgirls have won individual medalist honors, including nine consecutive from 1982-90. Excluding the inaugural season of each league (1976 for the Big Eight, 1997 for the Big 12), OSU has never finished lower than third place, and has finished either as champion or runnerup on 24 occasions.
2003 Big 12 Recap
Trailing by one stroke entering the final round, the Cowgirls shot a 304 and won their third-consecutive Big 12 title with a one-stroke win over second-place Missouri. Freshman Karin Sjödin carded a seven-over-par 223 and secured a second-place finish individually, trailing individual champion Sarah Sasse of Nebraska by three strokes. Senior Christi Cano finished fourth individually, while Sophomore Annie Thurman finished seventh, giving the Cowgirls three individuals on the all-tournament team. Senior Linda Wessberg finished 25th in her league finale, while sophomore Jenny Karr finished 29th. It was OSU's fourth Big 12 title in five years, and the 18th conference championship in school history.
OSU to Host League Tournament in 2008
Oklahoma State will host the 2008 Big 12 Women's Golf Championships on Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. Here is a look at the future host schools of the Big 12 league tournament: 2005 — Texas; 2006 — Nebraska; 2007 — Baylor; 2008 — Oklahoma State.
Chance to Join Some Elite Company
Oklahoma State Cowgirl Golf has an opportunity to join some elite company in the Big 12. Should the Cowgirls win the Big 12 Championships, they will become the sixth women's team to win five or more league championships since the Big 12 formed in 1996. They will also become the 10th team, men's or women's, to have accomplished that feat.
Individual Cowgirl Medalists
Oklahoma State has had 19 Cowgirls win the individual title at the league championship, including current head coach Amy Weeks. Weeks won the 1995 title by seven strokes over teammate JoJo Robertson as OSU went on to a 38-stroke win over second-place Iowa State.
