AUSTIN, Texas — The Oklahoma women’s golf team carded a 270, and school-record 18-under-par, to finish the 47th Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational at 8-under par and alone in third place Sunday.
Hannah Screen and Libby Winans paced the Sooners, as the juniors both finished inside the Top 5.
The third-place finish at the par-72, 6,331-yard UT Golf Club marks the Sooners’ fourth-straight Top-5 finish, dating back to last season.
Entering the day, head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell’s team sat in fifth at 10-over-par, but things would quickly change as the Sooners, minus 8, 856, carded five birdies on their opening five holes. The team’s scorecard would be filled with red on the back nine when Oklahoma collected a field-high 11 birdies to get under-par for the tournament. The Sooners’ third-round score of 270 is the second-lowest in school history, and the 18-under-par is the best mark ever for the Sooners in a single round.
For the first time since the second round of last year’s Westbrook Invitational, four Sooners shot under-par in the same round.
Hannah Screen, minus 10, 206, continued to show the impact she can have, as she notched her first top-five finish as a Sooner in just her second event, finishing alone in third. The London, U.K., product’s 13 birdies were tied for the third-most in the field, as she was the only golfer to shoot in the 60s in every round this weekend. She separated herself from teammate Libby Winans on the final hole by collecting an eagle to notch a career-best 10-under, 206.
“I feel like I’m just sticking to my game plan and making sure that I’m comfortable,” Screen said. “Quite often, on a hard course, it’s easy to overthink, but I’m just keeping it simple at the moment and it’s working. Admittedly, it can be frustrating as a golfer to get so close to a win, but I have to trust myself and our coaches, and know that it will happen one day.”
Libby Winans, minus 8, 208, showed why she’s considered one of the best golfers in the Big 12, carding a tournament-low 64 on Sunday to finish tied for fourth. Her 14 birdies were tied for the most among all players in Austin this weekend, and her score of 64 on Sunday matched a careerlow and is the second-lowest in OU history. The junior’s third-place finish marked the fourth Top-5 finish of her Oklahoma career, and first since the Moon Golf Invitational in the spring of 2019.
“I was so pumped to play today, and knew that I had a low round in me after yesterday,” Winans said. “Honestly, I wasn’t hitting the ball to my liking at times today, but still managed to hit a ton of fairways and greens. I just hit it pretty close all day, and made just about all of my birdie opportunities. I’m so pumped to keep getting exposure to great tournaments, and this Top 5 definitely helped boost my confidence.”
Senior Hannah Lee made her seasondebut in Austin, firing a 4-under-par 68 Sunday to finish at 5-over, 221, and in 26th. Her eagle on the fifth hole helped her collect the third round in the 60s of her OU career.
Kaitlin Milligan, plua 9, 225, finished her tournament with a 2-under, 70, Sunday morning to grab a share of 30th. The senior from Norman chipped in on her final hole to solidify the 46th under-par round of her collegiate career, fourth-most in program history.
Rounding out the Sooners’ lineup this weekend was sophomore Maria Fernanda Martinez, plus 10, 226, who tallied a 1-over, 73, in the final round to finish tied for 33rd.
The Sooners now turn their focus to their final fall event, the Cowgirl Invitational, slated to open play, October 22, at Karsten Creek in Stillwater.