University of North Texas
Conference USA Championship
UNT, Tan Claim First-Ever Conference Titles
4/21/2021 3:51:00 PM | Women's Golf
DADE CITY, Fla. - After starting Wednesday's final round of the Conference USA Championship four shots back of leader Western Kentucky, the UNT women's golf team didn't need much time to recover.
Just a few holes into the final round, the Mean Green had pulled even with Western Kentucky and went on to roll to a dominant victory and claim the first conference championship in program history with a 12-shot win after turning subpar round of the day. Junior Audrey Tan entered the 16th hole one back of the individual leader and birdied 16 and 17 before a par on 18 to claim a one-shot victory and the individual championship at 9-under par after her 66-74-67-207. Her score of 207 is also a new 54-hole program record.
"A couple of days ago, I thought that big of a win was possible, but Western played amazing the first day and we had some really crazy weather and changes to the tournament," UNT head coach Michael Akers said. "But we have a tendency to step up in the final round. One of our mottos is we own the final round, and it happened today.
"You play 54 holes because you want the best team to come up and finish on top, and I felt strongly we were the best team. Fortunately, we won. It's a pretty amazing feeling."
The Mean Green, who climbed one spot in the national rankings to No. 32 in the new poll released Wednesday morning, shot a 5-under 283 to wrap up the championship, led by Tan and senior Lauren Cox, who broke through after two rounds of even-par to shoot a 2-under-par 70 and finish tied for fourth. Both Tan and Cox earned All-Tournament honors.
The tournament victory is the first for the Mean Green since the final tournament of the 2020 season before the COVID-19 pandemic halted competition when they won the BYU Entrada Classic in March 2020, but it marks the first conference championship for the program and eclipses the best finish in Conference USA tournament history, which was previously fourth-place finishes in both 2018 and 2019.
Tan was the star of Monday's opening round, firing a personal-best 66 to help the Mean Green secure second place after the opening round before they fell into a tie for second place on Tuesday after the completion of Round 2, which was started Monday to avoid inclement weather on Tuesday.
Tan said her mental game has been the difference in what has been a standout spring season for the junior. She even said her game had some issues this week, but her mind won out.
"It's a mindset - a mental change," Tan said of her success this year. "I struggled a lot in this tournament and struggled off the tees and even with my putting some. I feel like scores aren't a great measure of how you're doing. It was really sheer grit and perseverance. I didn't bring my A-game. I think I brought my A-mindset. I made a few lucky putts, but just to stick in there and push forward regardless of how my game was, that was what truly made the difference."
Tan was unaware of her standing when she walked to the 16th tee box, down one shot to Old Dominion's Jana Melichova. She still didn't know where she stood after consecutive birdies when she sunk a par putt on 18 to clinch the championship, setting off a celebration as her teammates rushed the green and doused her with water.
"I had no idea I was in the lead or even close," Tan said. "I didn't know I had to do that on 18. It hasn't really registered yet. It was my first collegiate win and my last tournament (The Bruzzy), I got second and I was really hoping I'd get a win. To be able to do this is crazy. It honestly hasn't sunk in yet."
Now, the Mean Green await their NCAA Regional bid to find out where they'll be for the regional tournament, which will be played May 10-12. There, they will look to advance to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, on May 21-26. It will mark the second NCAA Regional bid and the first since Akers' arrival prior to the 2016-17 season. In his tenure, the Mean Green have climbed more than 170 spots in the national rankings and have continued to rewrite the program record book, and this conference championship adds another new chapter to the program's history.
"It just shows how good of a team we are," Tan said. "I told you earlier this week, we were just going out here to have fun and it'd be a cherry on top to get a win, especially with Lauren back for this year. It really means a lot to be able to win as a team and individually. I couldn't be happier. This team is amazing. These girls and the coaches are the best support system I could ask for. I knew no matter what I shot today I'd have my team to go back to and we're all here for each other."
Team Leaderboard
1. No. 32 North Texas (-1)
T2. Western Kentucky (+11)
T2. Middle Tennessee (+11)
4. No. 50Â UTSA (+13)
5. Old Dominion (+23)
6. Florida Atlantic (+31)
7. UTEP (+36)
8. Southern Mississippi (+39)
9. Florida International (+41)
10. Marshall (+48)
11. UAB (+52)
Individual Leaderboard
1. Audrey Tan (-9)
T4. Lauren Cox (-2)
T12. Emilie Ricaud (+4)
T23. Patricia Sinolungan (+7)
T32. Katie Finley (+13)
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Players Mentioned
