Cats Head to Final Round of Big 12 Championship in Sixth
Apr 19, 2021 | Women's Golf
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – After 36 holes of play at the 2021 Big 12 Championship, the Kansas State women's golf team is in sixth place as the Wildcats carded an 8-over par 296 on Monday during the second round at The Club at Carlton Woods.
K-State, which is battling seven conference foes that are ranked in the top 50 nationally by Golfstat, is at 7-over par 583 through two rounds. The Wildcats are one stroke ahead of 45th-ranked TCU and eight shots in front of 37th-ranked Iowa State.
"It's not a game of perfects," head coach Kristi Knight said after elevated second-round scores. "On day one, we hit some good shots and responded well to poor shots. I don't think we were quite as good at that today as a whole. It is a matter of good self talk and it comes down to liking yourself for 18 holes. It is a crazy game, but it is a personal choice to talk yourself into playing good or bad."
K-State junior Heather Fortushniak jumped 10 spots up the leaderboard on Monday thanks to a 2-under par 70 performance. She enters the final round tied for 14th place at 1-under par 143.
"Heather had good energy all day, and she was able to have several par saves to keep her round going," Knight said. "She missed several greens in some difficult locations, but she was able to save par. On any round, it's not about being perfect or hitting every shot well, it's about hitting a good chip and holing a putt. She was able to do that today to keep it going."
Freshman Napua Glossner also saw an improved score in the second round. Even with a triple bogey on No. 16, Glossner still carded a 2-over par 74 score and finished second among the K-State squad on Monday. She is tied for 39th overall at 7-over par 151. Senior Reid Isaac carded a 3-over par 75 in the second round, dropping on the leaderboard to a tie for 19th at 1-over par 145.
Senior Niamh McSherry is tied for 29th at 4-over par 148, while sophomore Haley Vargas is tied for 36th at 6-over par 150.
The first-place gap widened on Monday for sixth-ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls lead the field after an impressive 18-under par performance during the second round as they sit at 27-under par 549 through 36 holes. OSU's second-round score and two-day total are both Big 12 Championship records, as the Cowgirls hold a 16-shot advantage over a second-place tie between No. 15 Baylor and 32nd-ranked Oklahoma.
The individual scoreboard proves to be a more contested matchup with three players tied for first place in Oklahoma State's Isabella Fierro, Texas Tech's Gala Dumez and Baylor's Gurleen Kaur. All three players are at 9-under par 135 after two rounds. Fierro had the round of the day by shooting a 7-under par 65, also a Big 12 Championship record.
"We have to stay in our process and keep it in perspective," Knight said. "It is a game, and we are so lucky to be here playing it. It beats the heck out of COVID lockdowns and cancellations."
The Wildcats tee off in the final round of the 2021 Big 12 Championship on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. Fans can follow live scoring at www.golfstat.com.
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