It’s been over 300 days since the Texas women’s golf team last achieved a regular-season podium finish. Now, after months of unmet expectations, the streak has officially snapped.
Texas women’s golf finished runner-up at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., on Tuesday. The Longhorns left the Golden State with three of its six golfers securing a top-five finish, including a first-place finish from junior Farah O’Keefe.
Texas knew they had their work cut out for them coming into the tournament. Slated to compete against five of the nation’s then top-10 teams — Southern California, Oregon, Florida, Texas A&M and Pepperdine — it was expected to be an uphill climb for the then-No. 11 team in the nation.
While the roster hasn’t changed, this certainly wasn’t the same Texas team fans have gotten used to this season.
“One thing that our ladies kept telling me this fall was that something is missing,” head coach Laura Ianello said before the tournament. “They’re not finding themselves as comfortable down the stretch and in moments to win … so something that we’ve really diligently been working on is making sure the ladies just focus (on) where we are right now.”
It appears the last three months of mental preparation have paid off. That at least seemed to have been the case for O’Keefe, who secured her second collegiate victory on Tuesday.
After finishing the tournament tied for first, O’Keefe faced a playoff against UCLA sophomore Jeonghyun Lee. Her chance to claim the title came on the first hole with a challenging chip shot just off the green.
While almost everyone watching knew she had the talent to lay it in, O’Keefe knew it’d come down to the very thing she’d spent the last three months training on.
“As I was walking up, I honestly thought this looks like it could go in,” O’Keefe wrote in an email statement to the Texan. “But then, after I thought that, I went straight back to what I needed to focus on, which was staying neutral and executing what works for that shot. I had no expectation of the ball dropping or winning with that shot. I was simply focused on the process.”
The ball landed on the green with just the right amount of spin to roll into the cup. The once silent crowd erupted as O’Keefe let out an emphatic fist-pump, signaling her triumph.
Although it may just be one stop along the long road to the national championship, the Longhorns’ finish shows a significant step forward for the program. It serves as a sign that Ianello may have just found the one thing that’s been holding this team back.
With confidence and momentum restored, the Longhorns now have the blueprint for success as they look ahead to the rest of the season and their pursuit of a national title.
Texas will be one of 17 teams in the field for a three-day Moon Invitational in Melbourne, Florida, starting Feb. 15.