Texas women's golf finishes 2nd at regional, makes NCAA tournament field

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns women's golf team punched a ticket to the national tournament with a second-place finish at the NCAA regional tournament Tuesday at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas.

The sixth-ranked Longhorns finished four shots behind champions Wake Forest, led by sophomore Farah O'Keefe. She shot a 4-under 212 over three rounds, three shots behind the Demon Deacons' Carolina Chacarra. Junior Cindy Hsu finished the tournament tied for fifth at 1-over and senior Bohyun Park tied for eighth at 2-over. Texas was the top seed in the tournament.

"Words cannot express how proud I am of this team," Longhorns head coach Laura Ianello said. "They came prepared and showed wisdom, courage and love every step of the way. I thought we displayed our ability to adapt and play in a variety of different conditions, which is what you have to do to be successful."

On April 28, O'Keefe qualified for the Women's US Open with an 8-under performance at Sugar Mill Golf Club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This year's Women's US Open is May 29-June 1 at Erin Hills Golf Course in Erin, Wisconsin. She finished 10th at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, shooting 3-under on the Augusta National course.

Iowa State finished third, Tennessee came in fourth and Purdue topped Texas A&M in a playoff for fifth.

Texas will play May 16-21 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, in the NCAA tournament.

The Texas men's golf team will compete as the top seed in the NCAA Regional tournament May 12-14 in Reno, Nevada.