Sports

Texas Tech Women’s Golf Season Recap

Texas Tech Women's Golf team during the big 12 for golf

 With sports returning to normal this year, it has been a unique year for men’s and women’s sports. With all the inconsistency and big-time news, one sport on the Texas Tech Campus has continued to perform. Thus far been quiet is the women’s golf team. 

        The team began its season in September and has since played in twelve tournaments that have included many major teams and players. The most recent and perhaps one of the season’s biggest matchups came in the form of The Big 12 Championship. With the season beginning to heat up, the Red Raiders are starting to play some of their best golf. They will look to continue some of their best golf to date. 

Roster

The Texas Tech Red Raiders Women’s Golf Team may be small with only eight players. But all eight can do big things. The combination of athletes on the roster and all eight of them not being American-born citizens has created a unique atmosphere for the players. 

        Those players include Junior Louisa Brunt from Manchester, England, Freshman Pyrene Delample from Bourgoin-Jallieu, France. Sophomore Anna Dong from Guangzhou, China, Freshman Gala Dumez from Bordeaux, France, junior Sofia Garcia from Asuncion, Paraguay, junior Valentina Gilly from Caracas, Venezuela. Sophomore Cecilie Nielsen from Horsholm, Denmark, and finally junior Amy Taylor from Norwich, England. 

        With a plethora of players from Europe, Asia, and South America, the group has had exceptional tournaments to show the NCAA that they can compete. 

2020 Season

        The Red Raiders season began in the Fall of September of 2020. Now in April, the season is starting to wrap up with conference and NCAA matchups arising. The season began for the Red Raiders in Norman, Oklahoma, at the Schooner Fall Classic. Where the team placed 5th overall with a score of 869. With a field of over 50 players, the Red Raiders came to play. But only ended up finishing with one golfer placing in the top 10 and that playing being Sofia Garcia. In the three-day competition, Garcia shot a 212 total which tied her for 6th place for the tournament. 

        The next three tournaments in the Fall were the Betsy Rawls in Austin, Texas. Then the Cowgirl Classic in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and finally the Kissing Tree Invitational in San Marcos, Texas.  

        In the second tournament of the season in Austin, Texas, at the Betsy Rawls Invitational. The Red Raiders did not improve their score. They ended up placing seventh of the eight teams and only had one player shoot below 220 for the three-day tournament. With an overall score of 887, which is 18 higher than the first tournament of the season.   

        In the third tournament of the season, which is the Cowgirl Classic. While the teams did not score lower, they were able to bring home a second-place finish. In a very similar flight of teams from tournaments prior, Sofia Garcia and Anna Dong led the team. The two tied by shooting a 221 for the three-day tournament and placed second and third overall as individuals. With a successful weekend behind them, the Red Raiders then looked ahead to the Kissing Tree Invitational. 

        In the final tournament of the fall semester, the Red Raiders went to San Marcos, Texas, to compete in the Kissing Tree Invitational hosted by the Texas State Bobcats. The university did not score team scores, they did score individual scores. While keeping up her streak of dominant performances, Sofia Garcia did again place top 5 by securing a fourth-place finish. The rest of the team did somewhat struggle in the tournament, the team did have much to improve. 

2021 Spring Season

        After the long break, the Texas Tech Red Raiders Women’s Golf Team returned for the Spring season and had seven tournaments. Not including Big 12 play and beyond that. The Red Raiders began their return at Fort Worth, Texas, at the SMU Trinity Forest Invitational and placed fifth in their return. While much of the team was quiet in the first week of February Sofia Garcia maintained her dominance with a seventh-place finish. With a 5th place finish, the team scored a 904, which was only a single stroke behind fourth place. 

        In the next two tournaments, the team, while scoring lower, would not fare as well in placing. The first tournament took place in Sarasota, Florida, at the Founders Golf Club. It was hosted by Perdue and was then followed by the Icon Invitational in Houston hosted by the University of Houston.

        At the Heroes Ladies Intercollegiate Tournament hosted by Purdue in Florida. The Red Raiders placed seventh, and faced some of the most challenging competition they would face in the regular season. While the Red Raiders all placed in the 20’s or higher, they would look to bounce back. 

        In the Icon Invitational in Houston, the Red Raiders also did not farewell. While the team placed 8th overall, the team was led by Amy Taylor, who placed 29th overall. Taylor was followed by Sofia Garcia, who was only one point behind to be tied for the three-way place at 29th. With a rough weekend behind them, the Red Raiders would have a two-week break. 

        The Red Raider Women’s Golf Team would then bounce back as the team placed first at the Mary S. Kauth Invitational. Along with the team title, Sofia Garcia also earned her fifth colligate title. It was the first team title for the team since the spring of 2019. With Garcia’s championship and consistency, she was also followed by Cecilie Nielsen, who received runner-up in El Paso. The team scored an 888, which was just enough to help the Red Raiders bring home the hardware. 

        After a successful weekend in El Paso, the Red Raiders would then turn around and compete at the BYU Spring Classic in Utah. The team would win the BYU Spring Classic after inclement weather caused the tournament’s final round to be canceled. After the first two rounds, the team was five over par. Enough to bring home the title, making it the second of the season. Three players on the team would tie in the tournament, and those being Sofia Garcia, who was tied for third. Cecilie Nielsen and Gala Dumez, who after 36 holes were two over and ended in a tie for sixth place. With two tournament wins in two weeks, the Red Raiders would look to carry the momentum forward.

        The next tournament the women’s team played in was The Buzzy Challenge hosted by the University of North Texas (UNT) at the Lantana Golf Club in Lantana, Texas. The team was led by Anna Dong and followed by Amy Taylor, with the two both finishing in the top ten. The team ended up scoring an 862 and placed second place in the last week of March. 

Big 12 Championship

        After a successful ending to the regular season, the women’s team would then compete in the Big 12 Championship in the Woodlands, Texas, at The Club of Charlton Woods. The team teed off at 9 a.m., and from there, the team’s best golf of the season.

        The women’s team would finish runner-up with only 16 swings behind a historic Oklahoma State program. The team finished with a score of 846 and was led by Gala Dumez, who shot 14 under and scored 202. Along with finishing first on the team Dumez also led the tournament by finishing first place overall. Behind Dumez, Amy Taylor tied 9th by shooting a 211 and finishing five under. 

        Along with her first-place finish, Gala Dumez also made a record of her own and the Big 12 Championship as well. In the three-day 18-hole, 54-hole total, Dumez set a Big 12 Championship record but shooting the lowest score recorded in history. By shooting a 202, Dumez was able to help a second-place finish in the tournament. 

Looking Ahead 

        Looking ahead, the Texas Tech Women’s Golf Team will play at the NCAA Regionals from May 10th through the 12th, and the location is still to be announced. The team will compete and look to earn a shot to play at the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, from May 21st through the 26th. 

Checkout the campus live website for more sports stories: https://campuslivettu.com/

For more information at Texas Tech Women’s Golf checkout: https://texastech.com/sports/womens-golf

Written by Trinity Porter, Campus Live Intern 

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