Wildcats Ready for Big 12 Championship

MANHATTAN, Kan. - "We believe in all these ladies," said head coach Kristi Knight ahead of the Kansas State women's golf team's trip to Hockley, Texas, for the 2022 Big 12 Championship, held Friday through Sunday at the par-71, 6,249-yard Houston Oaks Golf Club.

The Wildcats will compete for a championship in a three-round, 54-hole tournament against teams from one of the best conferences in the country.

This year's stacked Big 12 consists of six ranked teams including No. 16 Baylor, No. 37 Iowa State, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 30 TCU, No. 14 Texas and No. 22 Texas Tech, to go along with in-state rival Kansas and Oklahoma.

Knight will send Napua Glossner, Manon Donche-Gay, Remington Isaac and Haley Vargas in the scoring lineup, with either Heather Fortushniak or Gabriela McNelly claiming right to the fifth and final lineup spot following a practice round on Thursday.

This is the first year that teams are allowed to travel six and play all six in the practice round due to a new conference policy. This substitution rule has previously only been used at NCAA Championships.

K-State is coming off a 13th-place finish last week at The Bruzzy, which was the final regular season tournament of a four-event spring slate.

Through an up-and-down season, Knight remains extremely confident in the ability of her team.

"They are great players and young ladies," Knight said. "We know what they can do as each has had multiple under par rounds. It's about coming together."

Glossner, a sophomore, makes her second trip to the Big 12s after becoming a regular in the lineup this season. She earned a position in the No. 1 spot as she has been the team-high finisher three times this spring. Glossner leads the team with four rounds even or under par.

This is also the second Big 12 Championship appearance for Vargas, who has been a member of the scoring lineup in all eight team events this season.

If Fortushniak does get the nod, the senior will return to an event where she has had past success. In the 2021 Big 12 Championship, Fortushniak led K-State on the leaderboard and finished in a tie for 15th place at 1-under par 215.

Donche-Gay, a junior college transfer, will be making her debut in a Power 5 championship. The Avignon, France product is the team-leader in stroke average at 74.43 through eight appearances this season. Donche-Gay has two career top-20 finishes, including one in the top-five.

Isaac comes into the final event of her freshman campaign still holding the highest finish of any Wildcat this season when she tied for third place at the Sunflower Invitational last September.

McNelly, if inserted into the lineup, will also make her Big 12 Championship debut after a spring that was highlighted by an 11th-place finish at the Auburn Individual.

Both Knight and K-State know that this weekend offers a valuable opportunity, both in the present and for the future of Wildcat golf.

"We have an opportunity to end this season on a high note and make a statement for the future," Knight said.

Kansas State will get the chance to cash in on that chance when play begins on Friday morning. Action will start all three days at 8 a.m. with pairings and tee times set by Golfweek/Sagarin rankings for Friday's first round. Tee times for Saturday's second round and Sunday's third round will be determined by the previous round results.

Fans can follow live scoring throughout the Big 12 Championship on Golfstat.com.

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Players Mentioned

Manon Donche-Gay

Heather Fortushniak

Napua Glossner

Remington Isaac

Gabriela McNelly

Haley Vargas

Kansas State University Athletics