April 19, 2004
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Tigers Open Play in 2004 Big 12 Women's Golf Championships
The University of Missouri women's golf squad travels to College Station, Texas, this weekend to compete in the Big 12 Women's Golf Championships. The eighth playing of the Championships will take place over a three-day period from April 23-25 at the Pebble Creek Country Club with the practice round taking place on Thurs., April 22nd.
The Tigers are looking to continue what has been an amazing 2003-04 campaign. Mizzou has finished in the top-3 in seven of the nine tournaments it has played in over the past eight months including three top-three finishes in each of the last three tournaments.
The Tigers also have recent history on their side. They made a phenomenal showing at last year's Championship, finishing second behind three-time repeating champion Oklahoma St.
Notes of Note
Mizzou finished second last year at the Big 12 Conference Championships, firing a 910 and finishing one stroke behind Oklahoma State ... then a sophomore, Mindy Bullard was the Tigers top finisher in second place with a score of 223 ... sophomore Denise Knaebel also registered a top-10 performance, finishing in 8th with a total of 228... Knaebel leads the Tigers with a stroke average of 74.2 per 18 holes and a 222.6 per 54 holes average ... the Tigers have saved the best for last, averaging a score of 298.9 strokes in the final round of tournaments ... Knaebel has not finished worse than 20th this season ... junior Mindy Bullard has improved in each of the Tigers' last four tournaments, going from 67th at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, to 31st at the Texas A&M Mo-Morial, to tied for 12th at the Baylor-Tapatio Springs Shootout to 12th at the Indiana Invitational ... the Tigers do not have a senior on the squad.
Big 12 Stroke Average Leaders
(As of April 15, 2004)
Name Sc. Cl. Rds. SA D. Knaebel MU So 27 74.20 C. Boucher KSU Sr 27 74.33 L. Meldrum OU Jr 27 74.80 M. Ohlsson MU Jr 27 74.90 K. Sjodin OSU So 21 75.05 J. Olivencia UT Sr 24 75.41 A. Thurman OSU Jr 24 75.46 J. Svenningsson BU So 24 75.50 A. Knoll OSU Fr 24 75.50 N. Melton TAM Fr 23 75.57
Head Coach Stephanie Cooper
Former Tiger Stephanie Cooper is in her third year as head coach of the Tigers. She has led the Tigers back into the national spotlight as the Tigers continue their quest for their second straight NCAA Regional Qualification. Mizzou has registered 18 Top 3 finishes during Cooper's first three years at the helm, including its first and second tourney championships under her tutelage at the Illinois State Redbird Classic and the Indiana Invitational.
After leading Mizzou to a runner-up finish at the 2003 Big 12 Championship, (losing by only one stroke to Oklahoma State) Cooper has a young and hungry squad ready to make a run at the Big 12 Championships.
Oh What a Season It Has Been
The Tigers have definitely had one of the most memorable seasons in school history in 2003-04. Several records have been bested and droughts ended during the course of this breakout season with the postseason yet to come.
Over the course (no pun intended) of the Mizzou's nine tournaments this season, it has recorded two wins and seven top-three finishes. The Tigers' first win of the season at the Illinois State Redbird Classic was their first victory under third-year head coach Stephanie Cooper. It was also the first time a Tiger squad had won a tourney since the Fall Season of 2000.
Junior Maria Ohlsson capped off an unbelievable fall season with the best 54-hole total in school history with a 215 at the Las Vegas Collegiate Shootout.
Sophomore Denise Knaebel and Ohlsson are also on the verge of recording the two lowest stroke averages in school history. Knaebel carries a Big 12-best mark of 74.2 into the Big 12 Tournament while Ohlsson checks in with a 74.9 average.
And if those landmarks aren't quite enough for you, Mizzou will more than likely record the lowest team stroke average of all time with a mark of 302.9, besting the previous low by almost four strokes (306.8 set by last season's squad). Stay tuned ...
The Details
The Big 12 Championships will be played at the Pebble Creek Country Club, which will be setup at 6,242 yards and par 72. Conditions are forecast to be mild and dry with highs in the high 70's and low 80's.
And the Winner is ...
Check back to www.mutigers.com on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for complete results and updates. For more information on Mizzou women's golf, log on to www.mutigers.com.
A Look at Last Year's Championships
Tigers Take Second at Big 12 Golf Championships
Bullard finishes in a tie for second
April 23, 2003
Columbia, Mo. - In what turned out to be one of the most wild and crazy final rounds in recent memory, the University of Missouri women's golf squad grabbed its best finish in school history in the Big 12 Championships, finishing in second place.
The Tigers fired a final round of 306 and a 910 for the tourney, just one stroke behind repeat-champion Oklahoma State, who shot a 304 on the final day and a 909 for the Championship. This marked only the second time the Big 12 Championship was decided by a one-stroke margin.
Below is a quick look at last year's final results and Mizzou player finishes at the Big 12 Championships:
2003 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 21-23
Country Club of Missouri
Columbia, Mo.
Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total 1 Oklahoma St. 309 296 304 909 2 Missouri 304 300 306 910 3 Texas 307 302 309 918 4 Oklahoma 314 305 304 923 5 Nebraska 311 307 308 926 6 Kansas State 312 310 314 936 7 Baylor 321 313 313 947 8 Texas A&M 321 306 322 949 9 Iowa State 326 312 322 960 10 Colorado 332 328 311 971 11 Kansas 325 322 326 973 12 Texas Tech 329 332 317 978INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Player (School) 1st 2nd 3rd Total 1 S. Sasse (NU) 74 74 72 220 2 K. Sjodin (OSU) 77 72 74 223 M. Bullard (MU) 74 76 73 223 4 C. Cano (OSU) 73 76 76 225 5 J. Olivencia (UT) 80 74 72 226 M. Smith (KSU) 78 71 77 226 8 D. Knaebel (MU) 75 74 79 228 9 E. Ohlsson (MU) 77 76 76 229 25 K. Strubinger (MU)84 74 78 236 33 M. Ohlsson (MU) 78 78 83 239