By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Baylor women’s golf finished in 12th place at the Annika Intercollegiate Tuesday at the Royal Golf Club.
The Bears were led by sophomore Silje Ohma, who finished with an even-par 72 as the Bears ended with a 21-over 885 as a team. It was Ohma’s second-consecutive day carding the team’s top score.
Stepping onto the scene was freshman Ashleen Kaur, who led the team on the individual leaderboard in her first collegiate event. Kaur became the first to do so since Giovana Maymon in 2014. Kaur finished 2-over 218, good for 33rd overall.
“I walked with her all day, and she felt great about her game,” head coach Jay Goble said. “We went through our yardages and our process really well all day. She obviously won the Annika Junior in January, so she’s super excited to be here and playing well.”
Kaur hit 3-over 75 on Wednesday, making an early bogey at No. 11 but bouncing back with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17 to turn in a 1-under. She opened her second nine with two more bogeys but knocked in a third birdie to pull back to par. She finished with three more bogeys at Nos. 4, 6 and 7.
Meanwhile, in the first match of her senior season, Rosie Belsham ended the event tied for 38th after carding a 4-over 76 in the final round on Wednesday. Ohma improved throughout the week, as her score rose three-straight days to finish 43rd with an even-par 72.
Still, Goble wasn’t pleased with the overall performance of the team to start the season. The Bears were 21-over 885 as a team on the three-day event. South Carolina won the team title with a 26-under 838.
“I’m not going to make excuses, but we have a team of players who have not played a competitive round in over a month and a half,” Goble said following the second round Tuesday. “On top of that, Minnesota in September and Waco in September are worlds apart when it comes to playing conditions, grasses and greens, and we just had a bad day. We couldn’t get anything going today, and that gets magnified when you are playing against a loaded field like this one.”
The Bears’ next challenge will come at the Mason Rudolph Challenge in Nashville later this month. They’ll look to move on from loss as soon as possible.
“We will put this round behind us, though, because I feel like we are a great team,” Goble said. “One day does not define who we are as a team, and once we all start clicking, this team is capable of some special things.”
