Cats Stay Steady at Big 12 Championship
Apr 19, 2024 | Women's Golf
HOCKLEY, Texas – The Kansas State women's golf team posted a second-round score of 5-over par 289 on Friday to remain in a tie for fourth place at the 2024 Big 12 Championship held at the par-71, 6,249-yard Houston Oaks Golf Club.
K-State, which is ranked 55th in the nation, is tied with No. 40 Baylor with a 36-hole score of 13-over par 581. The Wildcats and Bears are six shots behind the third-place team, No. 49 Iowa State, while they are five shots ahead of No. 48 Kansas and seven shots clear of both No. 42 Oklahoma State and No. 43 Oklahoma.
"We managed our game plan well today, which led to another gritty round," head coach Stew Burke said. "The ladies stayed very disciplined when it would have been easy to press, and they made good decisions when out of position. This golf course is tough – it will punish aggressive play and reward smart golf. I'm looking forward to a strong final round and seeing where it places us."
Only 14 players in the field of 65 were able to card a round of even par or better on Friday, and two of those came from K-State sophomore Noa van Beek and freshman Julia Ballester Barrio.
Beginning on No. 10, van Beek went 1-over par on the back 9 before closing her round with a bogey-free front 9 of 1-under par. The Oene, Netherlands, native improved nine spots on the leaderboard during Friday's second round as she is tied for 16th place at 3-over par 145.
Ballester Barrio tied for the second-biggest jump of any competitor on the leaderboard on Friday by improving 20 spots to a tie for 25th place at 5-over par 147. The Castellon, Spain, product battled her way to her even-par round as she carded five birdies and five bogeys on the day.
With van Beek moving into the tie for 16th, K-State now has three players in the top 20 as senior Haley Vargas is tied for 11th place and junior Carla Bernat is tied for 19th place. Vargas went 3-over par 74 during the second round and holds a 36-hole score of 2-over par 144. Bernat duplicated her first-round score of 2-over par 73 on Friday to sit 4-over par 146 for the championship.
Both Vargas and Bernat registered crucial birdie putts on their penultimate hole – the par-5 No. 8 – to help the Wildcats get back into a tie for fourth place.
Freshman Alenka Navarro is tied for 56th place at 14-over par 156 following a second-round score of 10-over par 156.
"Noa and Julia had good rounds, and both Haley and Carla closed out the last few holes well," Burke said. "We will need to continue to be confident and patient tomorrow like we have through the first two rounds."
Texas remains the top team on the leaderboard after the Longhorns put together a round of 1-under par 283 on Friday, and they hold a six-shot lead over Houston at 1-over par 569. Iowa State's Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn carded a 6-under par 65 during the second round to claim sole possession of first place by four shots at 8-under par 134.
A shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. will begin the final round of the 2024 Big 12 Championship on Saturday with the Wildcats beginning on holes 4-8. Final-round coverage of the championship can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ , while live results can be viewed at www.Golfstat.com.
K-State, which is ranked 55th in the nation, is tied with No. 40 Baylor with a 36-hole score of 13-over par 581. The Wildcats and Bears are six shots behind the third-place team, No. 49 Iowa State, while they are five shots ahead of No. 48 Kansas and seven shots clear of both No. 42 Oklahoma State and No. 43 Oklahoma.
"We managed our game plan well today, which led to another gritty round," head coach Stew Burke said. "The ladies stayed very disciplined when it would have been easy to press, and they made good decisions when out of position. This golf course is tough – it will punish aggressive play and reward smart golf. I'm looking forward to a strong final round and seeing where it places us."
Only 14 players in the field of 65 were able to card a round of even par or better on Friday, and two of those came from K-State sophomore Noa van Beek and freshman Julia Ballester Barrio.
Beginning on No. 10, van Beek went 1-over par on the back 9 before closing her round with a bogey-free front 9 of 1-under par. The Oene, Netherlands, native improved nine spots on the leaderboard during Friday's second round as she is tied for 16th place at 3-over par 145.
Ballester Barrio tied for the second-biggest jump of any competitor on the leaderboard on Friday by improving 20 spots to a tie for 25th place at 5-over par 147. The Castellon, Spain, product battled her way to her even-par round as she carded five birdies and five bogeys on the day.
With van Beek moving into the tie for 16th, K-State now has three players in the top 20 as senior Haley Vargas is tied for 11th place and junior Carla Bernat is tied for 19th place. Vargas went 3-over par 74 during the second round and holds a 36-hole score of 2-over par 144. Bernat duplicated her first-round score of 2-over par 73 on Friday to sit 4-over par 146 for the championship.
Both Vargas and Bernat registered crucial birdie putts on their penultimate hole – the par-5 No. 8 – to help the Wildcats get back into a tie for fourth place.
Freshman Alenka Navarro is tied for 56th place at 14-over par 156 following a second-round score of 10-over par 156.
"Noa and Julia had good rounds, and both Haley and Carla closed out the last few holes well," Burke said. "We will need to continue to be confident and patient tomorrow like we have through the first two rounds."
Texas remains the top team on the leaderboard after the Longhorns put together a round of 1-under par 283 on Friday, and they hold a six-shot lead over Houston at 1-over par 569. Iowa State's Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn carded a 6-under par 65 during the second round to claim sole possession of first place by four shots at 8-under par 134.
A shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. will begin the final round of the 2024 Big 12 Championship on Saturday with the Wildcats beginning on holes 4-8. Final-round coverage of the championship can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ , while live results can be viewed at www.Golfstat.com.
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