Thursday, April 18
The Clubs at Houston Oaks – Hockley, Texas
University of Houston
vs
Big 12 Championships
Women’s Golf in Second at Big 12 Championships
4/18/2024 3:47:00 PM | Women's Golf
Cougars post team score of 4-over 288; Moa Svedenskiold, Alexa Saldana tied for sixth with even-par 71s
HOCKLEY, Texas – University of Houston Women's Golf sophomores Alexa Saldana and Moa Svedenskiold each fired even-par 71s to tie for sixth and lead the Cougars during the First Round of the Big 12 Championships at The Clubs at Houston Oaks on Thursday afternoon.As a team, the Cougars posted a score of 288 and stood in second, two strokes behind first-day leader Texas.
Starting off No. 1, Svedenskiold drained her first birdie of the day at the par-3 fifth hole but moved over par with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 6-7. The Halmstad, Sweden, native returned to even par with a birdie at No. 8 and drained back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11-12.
After a pair of bogeys, Svedenskiold finished the day with four straight pars to stand among the Top 10.
Saldana enjoyed her first birdie of the day at No. 4 but struggled to 2-over through 13 holes after three bogeys in a six-hole stretchy. Fortunately, the Mexico City, native rebounded two birdies in a three-hole stretch at Nos. 14-16 to join Svedenskiold and four others at even-par.
Senior Nicole Abelar was tied for 12th at 72 after sinking a team-high five birdies in the First Round. Competing in their first conference championships with the Cougars, junior Hyeonji Kang was tied for 25th at 74 while freshman Maelynn Kim was tied for 59th at 80.
In the team standings, TCU was third at 291 while Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State were tied for fourth at 292. Texas Tech (293), Kansas (297), UCF (298), Oklahoma State (301) and Oklahoma (301) rounded out the Top 10.
Individually, Iowa State teammates Liyana Durisic and Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn and Texas' Lauren Kim were tied for the lead with 69s.
LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the Big 12 Championships on GolfStat by clicking here.
TUNE IN
Fans can watch Saturday's Final Round live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., with Ryan Burr and Suzy Whaley calling the action.
TEE TIMES
For Friday's Second Round, Houston will compete in groups with student-athletes from Texas and UCF. The Cougars tee off No. 10 at 8 a.m., Friday.
Kim begins the day at 8 a.m., with Kang (8:10 a.m.), Abelar (8:20 a.m.), Saldana (8:30 a.m.) and Svedenskiold (8:40 a.m.) following.
Fans can find complete tee times and pairings on GolfStat by clicking here.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
This is the 10th conference championships appearances in Houston history.
The Cougars captured American Athletic Conference Championships titles in 2019, 2018 and 2017 and have never finished below fourth in their history with Top-Three showings in all but one season.
In their most recent appearance, Houston finished fourth at the 2024 American Championships with a score of 2-under 862 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla.
Svedenskiold fired three straight sub-par round and finished second at 8-under 208. Abelar and Annie Kim joined her among the Top-20 leaders.
Abelar is making her first conference championships appearance in her third different league. She finished second at the 2021 Sun Belt Championships with Coastal Carolina and earned Top-15 finishes in back-to-back years at The American Championships in 2023 and 2022.
Kang is making her third appearance with her second league. She tied for fourth as a freshman at Hawai'i at the 2022 Big West Championships.
Saldana and Svedenskiold are making their second straight appearance at a conference championships while Kim made her collegiate postseason debut.
UP NEXT
Following the Big 12 Championships, the Cougars learn their postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show. That show will air at 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 24, on Golf Channel.
Eighty-one (81) teams and 10 individuals not on those teams will be selected to compete at the NCAA Regionals to be held at one of six sites across the country on May 6-8.
Those NCAA Regional sites include Auburn University Club (Auburn, Ala., hosted by Auburn); Tumble Creek Club (Cle Elum, Wash., hosted by Washington); Traditions Club (Bryan-College Station, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M); Forest Akers Golf Course (East Lansing, Mich., hosted by Michigan State); Spanish Trail Country Club (Las Vegas, hosted by UNLV) and East Course – Bermuda Run Country Club (Winston-Salem, N.C., hosted by Wake Forest).
The top five teams and top individual not on an advancing team at each NCAA Regional site advance to the NCAA Championships set for May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Women's Golf by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the P.A.R. 4 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWGolf or on the team's Instagram page at UHCougarWGolf.
– UHCougars.com –
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