STILL ON TOP: For ninth time in 10 years, TexAnns win LSC golf title

Tarleton women's golf — Tarleton and head coach Jerry Doyle celebrated women's LSC golf title No. 10 Tuesday at Frisco Lakes Golf Club. || Courtesy RYAN COX/Tarleton Athletics

Flash Staff Report
TheFlashToday.com

(April 25, 2017) — For the ninth time in 10 years, Tarleton State is champion in Lone Star Conference women’s golf.

Casey Wild won her first conference top individual medalist honor to lead the TexAnns to an 11-stroke victory over second-place West Texas A&M in the two-round conference tournament at the 5,834-yard, par-72 Frisco Lakes Golf Club Monday and Tuesday.

Tarleton pulled a stroke ahead of WTAMU late in the opening round Monday and dominated the second round, leading by as many as 14 strokes when the top teams each had 15 of the 18 holes reported.

Tarleton was 11-over par (299) on Monday and just 8-over (296) on Tuesday, finishing at +19 (595) with WTAMU at +30 (606), Texas A&M-Commerce at +37 (613) and Cameron in fourth at +48 (624). Rounding out the field were Midwestern State (+51, 627), Angelo State (+56, 632), Western New Mexico (+63, 639), Texas A&M-Kingsville (+91, 667) and UT-Permian Basin (+131, 707).

Wild shot even par 72 on Monday, and began her final round with a bogey 5 at hole 1. She was dominant over the rest of the front nine, however, scoring birdie 4 on the third, birdie 3 on the fourth and birdie four on the ninth to finish the front at 2-under 34. She led throughout the back-9, scoring par on each hole except the 11th, where she carded a bogey 5.

Texans Beatriz Prados tied for third with a two-round total of five-over +149, and Sarah Gee placed sixth at seven-over 151. Casey Leatherman tied for 12th at 11-over 155. Lydia Traylor finished 20th at 13-over 157. Traylor shot a round of 76 on Monday, leaving Leatherman’s 79 off the team card. Weatherman had the fourth team score with 76 strokes on Tuesday, when Traylor shot 81.

Anya Anders of TAMUC scored one-over 145 to place second individually between Wild and Prados. Tying Prados for third was WTAMU’s Ueakarn Look Yee Songprasert.

Tarleton won its 10th LSC title in women’s golf, the first coming in 2003. The TexAnns won seven straight conference tournaments from 2008 through 2014, finished second in 2015 and have won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.

All of those titles have come under legendary Jerry Doyle, who has led Tarleton to nine consecutive Division II National Championship tournaments.

Tarleton awaits an invitation to the NCAA Division II Super Regional, hosted this year by MSU from May 8-10 at Wichita Falls Country Club. It will take a top three finish for the TexAnns to advance to a 10th straight national tournament.