University of North Texas Athletics
Friday, May 21
Whirlwind Golf Club at Wildhorse Pass / Chandler, Ariz.
University of North Texas
vs
Let Them Play Classic
Mean Green, Tan Win Let Them Play Classic Titles
5/21/2021 8:02:00 PM | Women's Golf
CHANDLER, Ariz. - After being told they couldn't play at the NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge last week because the course wasn't in "championship" condition, the Mean Green women's golf team thought their season had come to a sudden and unceremonious end.
One week later, they were playing at the Let Them Play Classic, which was put together on the fly by Barstool Sports' Sam "Riggs" Bozoian and featured 10 of the 12 teams that were left out to dry in Baton Rouge.
The Mean Green made the most of their extra chance to finish their season on the course by winning the tournament on Friday evening at Whirlwind Golf Club with a score of 11-under par, beating No. 44 Purdue by seven shots in the field that featured seven top-50 teams. Junior Audrey Tan, who won the individual championship at the Conference USA tournament last month while leading her team to the team championship, repeated the feat on Friday by winning the individual title with a score of 9-under par. With that score, she also tied her program record she set at the C-USA Championship for best 54-hole score of 207.
"It is really special ending the season with this win instead of in the parking lot (in Baton Rouge)," Tan said. "It was such an incredible moment to experience with the team and traveling together once more. I am so grateful to go back-to-back and honored for the opportunity to play in this event."
The Mean Green started the day with the same seven-shot cushion they finished with, but it was a rollercoaster of a day, as they led by as many as 13 shots on the front-nine before seeing Purdue rally and close the gap to three strokes midway through the back-nine. Clutch finishes from junior Katie Finley and sophomore Emilie Ricaud helped propel the team to victory after they each birdied two of their final three holes.
While most tournaments count four of five scores and throw the worst score out in each round, this tournament was altered to count just three scores because some teams were only able to send three players due to the last-minute organization of the event.
"We are very happy just to have the opportunity to compete after what happened at Regionals," UNT head coach Michael Akers said. "To sweep the team and individual honors is incredible. Honestly, there are more eyeballs on the Let Them Play event than the NCAA championship. I am thrilled to end the season on such a huge, positive note."
Senior Lauren Cox, who set the new program record for single-season birdies (91) with 13 over the course of her three rounds, finished her final round as a Mean Green golfer with a 77 but closed her final collegiate round with two birdies and two pars after entering the day in second place on the individual leaderboard - a spot ahead of Tan, who matched her teammate with 13 birdies over the two days. Cox finished tied for fourth at 1-under par.
Cox led the field in Par-4 scoring at 5-under par, while Tan led the field in Par-5 scoring at 6-under par.
Cox's career ends with the team championship and several program records, including her new single-season scoring average record that breaks last year's mark and gives her three of the all-time top five marks. She also ends her career as the all-time scoring average record holder.
"This tournament was awesome and such a fun way to finish my college career," Cox said. "Winning the Barstool event means so much to our team and is a great ending to our season."
Tan will now enter the summer fresh off wins in her last two tournaments of the year and will look to chase down some of Cox's all-time program marks next year as a senior.
Fans can follow the program on social media using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Team Leaderboard
1. No. 37 North Texas (-11)
2. No. 44 Purdue (-4)
3. No. 29 Houston (+1)
4. No. 42 Mississippi State (+2)
5. No. 32 Oregon State (+22)
6. No. 47 Tulsa (+24)
7. Jacksonville State (+30)
8. East Tennessee State (+32)
9. No. 50 Sam Houston State (+38)
10. Quinnipiac (+42)
Individual Leaderboard
1. Audrey Tan (-9)
T4. Lauren Cox (-1)
T15. Emilie Ricaud (+5)
25. Patricia Sinolungan (+9)
T29. Katie Finley (+12)
T38. Shreya Pal (+18)
One week later, they were playing at the Let Them Play Classic, which was put together on the fly by Barstool Sports' Sam "Riggs" Bozoian and featured 10 of the 12 teams that were left out to dry in Baton Rouge.
The Mean Green made the most of their extra chance to finish their season on the course by winning the tournament on Friday evening at Whirlwind Golf Club with a score of 11-under par, beating No. 44 Purdue by seven shots in the field that featured seven top-50 teams. Junior Audrey Tan, who won the individual championship at the Conference USA tournament last month while leading her team to the team championship, repeated the feat on Friday by winning the individual title with a score of 9-under par. With that score, she also tied her program record she set at the C-USA Championship for best 54-hole score of 207.
"It is really special ending the season with this win instead of in the parking lot (in Baton Rouge)," Tan said. "It was such an incredible moment to experience with the team and traveling together once more. I am so grateful to go back-to-back and honored for the opportunity to play in this event."
The Mean Green started the day with the same seven-shot cushion they finished with, but it was a rollercoaster of a day, as they led by as many as 13 shots on the front-nine before seeing Purdue rally and close the gap to three strokes midway through the back-nine. Clutch finishes from junior Katie Finley and sophomore Emilie Ricaud helped propel the team to victory after they each birdied two of their final three holes.
While most tournaments count four of five scores and throw the worst score out in each round, this tournament was altered to count just three scores because some teams were only able to send three players due to the last-minute organization of the event.
"We are very happy just to have the opportunity to compete after what happened at Regionals," UNT head coach Michael Akers said. "To sweep the team and individual honors is incredible. Honestly, there are more eyeballs on the Let Them Play event than the NCAA championship. I am thrilled to end the season on such a huge, positive note."
Senior Lauren Cox, who set the new program record for single-season birdies (91) with 13 over the course of her three rounds, finished her final round as a Mean Green golfer with a 77 but closed her final collegiate round with two birdies and two pars after entering the day in second place on the individual leaderboard - a spot ahead of Tan, who matched her teammate with 13 birdies over the two days. Cox finished tied for fourth at 1-under par.
Cox led the field in Par-4 scoring at 5-under par, while Tan led the field in Par-5 scoring at 6-under par.
Cox's career ends with the team championship and several program records, including her new single-season scoring average record that breaks last year's mark and gives her three of the all-time top five marks. She also ends her career as the all-time scoring average record holder.
"This tournament was awesome and such a fun way to finish my college career," Cox said. "Winning the Barstool event means so much to our team and is a great ending to our season."
Tan will now enter the summer fresh off wins in her last two tournaments of the year and will look to chase down some of Cox's all-time program marks next year as a senior.
Fans can follow the program on social media using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Team Leaderboard
1. No. 37 North Texas (-11)
2. No. 44 Purdue (-4)
3. No. 29 Houston (+1)
4. No. 42 Mississippi State (+2)
5. No. 32 Oregon State (+22)
6. No. 47 Tulsa (+24)
7. Jacksonville State (+30)
8. East Tennessee State (+32)
9. No. 50 Sam Houston State (+38)
10. Quinnipiac (+42)
Individual Leaderboard
1. Audrey Tan (-9)
T4. Lauren Cox (-1)
T15. Emilie Ricaud (+5)
25. Patricia Sinolungan (+9)
T29. Katie Finley (+12)
T38. Shreya Pal (+18)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Friday, November 04
Friday, July 08