Wildcats Ready for Match Play at Jimmie Austin

MANHATTAN, Kan. – In its final tune up prior to the Big 12 Championship, the Kansas State women's golf team will compete in a unique event as the Wildcats participate in the Match Play at Jimmie Austin, Monday and Tuesday, at the par-72, 6,488-yard Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma.

The event will consist of one round of stroke play on Monday morning to seed teams into an eight-squad bracket with the first round of match play that afternoon. Two more matches will be conducted on Tuesday to determine a final placing.

"We're looking forward to competing in a different format this week," head coach Stew Burke said. "We've had a good week of preparation at home and are ready to test ourselves against some highly-ranked teams. It will be our first time at the Jimmie and should provide a good test of golf to help us prepare for the postseason."

With a majority of the event utilizing a match-play format, the field in Norman is smaller than usual as the Wildcats will compete against Houston, North Texas, host-school Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Tulane and Tulsa.

For a second-straight event, K-State will use the lineup of junior Carla Bernat, senior Haley Vargas, freshman Alenka Navarro, senior Napua Glossner and sophomore Noa van Beek, while freshman Julia Ballester Barrio will compete as an individual.

Bernat, the reigning Big 12 Women's Golfer of the Month, is coming off a victory at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic two weeks ago in Athens, Georgia, when she recorded a 54-hole score of 9-under par 207, six shots clear of a tie for second place and tied for the third best 54-hole score in school history. A native of Castellon, Spain, Bernat recorded a 69.33 stroke average in the month of March, while she is averaging 69.50 strokes per round this spring with seven rounds in the 60s and just one over-par round.

It's been a busy few weeks for Bernat, who traveled straight to Norman from Augusta, Georgia, after tying for 17th place at the Augusta National Women's Amateur with a 54-hole score of 3-over par 219 this past Wednesday through Saturday.

Navarro, a product of Mexico City, ranks second on the team with a 73.33 stroke average, just ahead of Vargas at 73.46. Led by Vargas' victory, both players recorded a top-10 finish at the White Sands Invitational in late October.

A shotgun start to the stroke play round begins at 8 a.m. on Monday morning. The first round of matches will tee off hole No. 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Tee times will also be used for the final two matches on Tuesday, with the second round beginning at 8 a.m. and the championship round beginning at 1:30 p.m. Live results of the Match Play at Jimmie Austin can be followed at www.Golfstat.com.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ballester Barrio

Carla Bernat

Napua Glossner

Alenka Navarro

Noa van Beek

Haley Vargas

Kansas State University Athletics