Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Golfers to Compete in NCAA Central Regional
May 10, 2006 | Cowgirl Golf
17th-ranked Oklahoma State
at the NCAA Central Regional
QUICK FACTS
Thurs-Sat, May 11-13
The Traditions
at Texas A&M
College Station, Texas
54-hole stroke play
par 72 • 6,289 yards
Oklahoma State Golfers
Golfer Class Height Handed Rds-Stks Average Pernilla Lindberg Fr. 5-5 Right 24-1789 74.54 Candie Herrera Jr. 5-5 Right 21-1594 75.90 Karin Kinnerud Fr. 5-3 Right 27-2056 76.15 Mallorie Underwood Jr. 5-7 Right 27-2085 77.22 Amanda Johnson Fr. 5-9 Right 9-721 80.11
Cowgirls to Compete in NCAA Central Regional
Oklahoma State's Cowgirl Golf team will travel to College Station, Texas, to compete in the NCAA Central Regional, hosted by Texas A&M University. The tournament will be held at the Traditions at Texas A&M on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 11-13, with a practice round on Wednesday, May 10. Oklahoma State will attempt to advance to the NCAA Championships for the sixth-consecutive year. The Cowgirls are also one of just three teams to advance to the NCAA Championships and finish in the top 10 the past three seasons. The NCAA Central Regional tournament will begin at 7:30 a.m. each day on the 6,289-yard, par-72 course.
Cowgirls Finish Second at Big 12s
Oklahoma State led after both the first and second rounds, but faltered during the third and finished second to Texas A&M at the 10th annual Big 12 Women's Golf Championships last month. The Cowgirls had a three-stroke lead entering the final round, but shot a 318 to drop to second place. Candie Herrera led the OSU golfers by finishing fifth individually with a 225, while Pernilla Lindberg finished seventh with a 227. Jennifer Karr, playing in her final Big 12 Championships, finished ninth with a 229. All three golfers were named to the all-tournament team. In fact, Karin Kinnerud finished 16th and Mallorie Underwood finished 19th, placing all five Cowgirl golfers in the top-20 individually.
Cowgirls Garner Postseason Accolades
Oklahoma State freshman Pernilla Lindberg was named the Big 12 Conference's Newcomer of the Year, the third time in four seasons that an OSU Cowgirl has earned that award. Lindberg also joined Cowgirl junior Candie Herrera as a member on the All-Big 12 First Team. Other members of the first-team squad were Texas A&M's Ashley Knoll, Stephanie Wavro of Missouri and Kansas' Amanda Costner. Herrera, Lindberg and Knoll, the Big 12 Player of the Year, were all three unanimous selections. Karin Kinnerud, a freshman for Oklahoma State, was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. She was joined by Texas' Julia Best, Stephanie Ruiz of Nebraska, and Texas A&M's Brenda Norris and Christi Spedding. This marked the second- consecutive season that Oklahoma State had two players listed on the first team, and the fifth time in 10 years of the Big 12's existence. It also marks the fourth time in five seasons that OSU has placed three golfers on either All-Big 12 team, and the fifth time overall. Two other Cowgirls — senior Kyla Welsh and junior Mallorie Underwood — were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. It was Underwood's second such honor and Welsh's first.
Oklahoma State at the NCAA Regionals
The Cowgirls are competing in their 14th consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament, and have advanced to the NCAA Championships seven times through regional play. The Cowgirls have finished in the top five in four of the last five NCAA Regional tournaments, including a second-place finish at the 2003 event in Tempe, Ariz. OSU has finished in the top five on five occasions at the NCAA Regional Championships, and has two other top-10 finishes. Last year, the Cowgirls finished fifth, just nine strokes back of the team champion in Las Cruces, N.M.
OSU's Results at the Regional Championships
Strokes Back Year Finish Score (from cut) Regional Location 1993 12th 899 48 (9) West Tucson, Ariz. 1994 4th 891 14 (-) West Albuquerque, N.M. 1995 14th 920 42 (5) West Tucson, Ariz. 1996 15th 969 69 (8) West Omaha, Neb. 1997 11th 897 32 (-) West Tucson, Ariz. 1998 13th 918 47 (6) West Stanford, Calif. 1999 10th 924 45 (-) West Houston, Texas 2000 16th 913 32 (14) West Tempe, Ariz. 2001 4th 925 21 (-) Central West Lafayette, Ind. 2002 5th 921 7 (-) Central East Lansing, Mich. 2003 2nd 880 10 (-) West Tempe, Ariz. 2004 t8th 920 50 (-) East Howey in the Hills, Fla. 2005 5th 898 9 (-) West Las Cruces, N.M.
OSU vs. the Field
Oklahoma State is 25-14 overall vs. the competition in the Central Regional this season, good for an 64.1 winning percentage. OSU is 0-5 against Duke, 1-4 vs. Florida and 1-3 against Texas A&M. However, vs. the rest of the field, the Cowgirls are 23-2. Oklahoma State is 6-0 against Texas, 3-0 vs. Baylor and Tulsa, 2-0 against SMU, TCU, Missouri and Nebraska, 1-0 vs. Pepperdine and Kent State, 1-1 vs. Ohio State and 0-1 against USC.
Cowgirls Individuals Rank High Nationally
Based on the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Ratings Index, the Cowgirls rank among the best in the field. OSU is one of six teams in the Central Regional that has at least three golfers ranked in the top-100 nationally. Pernilla Lindberg ranks 33rd in the country while Candie Herrera ranks 73rd. Karin Kinnerud ranks 91st nationally. Cowgirl Mallorie Underwood ranks 161st, while Jennifer Karr is 167th in the Sagarin individual rankings.
OSU Schedule Strength Ranks in Top 20
Based on the Golfweek/ Sagarin Performance Ratings Index, Oklahoma State's schedule this season is the 16th-toughest in the nation. The only Big 12 school ranked ahead of the Cowgirls is Texas, which is in the No. 11 spot. The top-five spots are all held by members of the Pac 10. Oklahoma State has played in the same tournament as the top-10 teams in the country a combined 25 times. The Cowgirls have played members of the top-25 a combined 56 times in eight events this season.
Top Freshman in School History?
A career is certainly not made up of just one season, but the beginning of freshman Pernilla Lindberg's career is definitely a good way to start. The newcomer from Bollnäs, Sweden, is already ahead of her predecessors. Her 74.54 strokes-per-round average already ranks among the top-eight single seasons in school history. It is the best average by a freshman in school history, also 4/10ths of a stroke better than Karin Sjödin's average as a fre shman and 1.25 strokes better than Maria Bodén's average as a rookie. Those two just happen to hold the No. 1 and 2 spots in career stroke average in OSU history. Lindberg is also just the fourth freshman in the storied history of Cowgirl golf to have won a tournament in her initial season. In her last four tournaments, Lindberg has four top-seven finishes.
Single-Season Stroke Averages
Rank, Golfer Class Year Average 1. Annie Thurman-Young Senior 2004-05 73.06 2. Maria Boden Junior 1999-2000 73.59 3. Karin Sjodin Junior 2004-05 73.94 4. Maria Boden Senior 2000-01 74.19 5. Karin Sjodin Soph 2003-04 74.47 6. Val Skinner Senior 1981-82 74.49 7. Stephanie Martin Junior 1991-92 74.50 8. Pernilla Lindberg Frosh 2005-06 74.54 9. Annie Thurman Junior 2003-04 74.70 10. Annie Thurman Soph 2002-03 74.76
Other Freshmen
11. Karin Sjodin Frosh 2002-03 74.94 21. Maria Boden Frosh 1997-98 75.79 23. Mallorie Underwood Frosh 2003-04 75.89
The Swedish Pipeline
Oklahoma State has been extremely successful in bringing talented golfers from the country of Sweden to Stillwater. It all began in the mid-1980s when Eva Dahllof and Katrin Mollerstedt hopped on a plane to the United States. With the addition of freshmen Pernilla Lindberg and Karin Kinnerud to this year's squad, there have now been 13 Swedes that have worn the Cowgirl uniform. Several have been very successful at the collegiate and professional levels. Dahllof, Maria Bodén and Karin Sjödin have all garnered first-team All-America honors while at OSU. Charlotta Eliasson, Emma Zackrisson and Linda Wessberg have all been named as All-Americans as well.
Name Hometown Years at OSU Katrin Mollerstedt Arild 1986-87 Eva Dahllof Ornskoldsvik 1986-89 Jennifer Allmark Hallefors 1989 Charlotta Eliasson Hassleholm 1991-94 Petra Rigby Akarp 1992 Anna Lindblom Askim 1995-98 Eva-Lotta Stromlid Askim 1996-99 Maria Boden Harnosand 1998-2001 Emma Zackrisson Holmsund 1999-2002 Linda Wessberg Vastra Frolunda 2000-03 Karin Sjodin Gothenburg 2003-05 Pernilla Lindberg Bollnas 2006-present Karin Kinnerud Norrkoping 2006-present
