Farah O’Keefe clinches the match after earning co-medalist honors as No. 3 Longhorns finish strong at PGA Frisco
FRISCO, Texas | No. 3 Texas women’s golf closed the Jackson T. Stephens Cup on a high note Wednesday, defeating No. 12 Oregon 4-1 in match play at PGA Frisco.
The Longhorns received victories from newcomer Isla McDonald-O’Brien, Selina Liao, Farah O’Keefe and freshman Amy Lee, delivering a convincing finish against a nationally ranked Oregon team.
O’Keefe provided the decisive point after entering the day as a co-medalist of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. Facing a one-hole deficit through 16, she responded when Texas needed her most, squaring the match on No. 17 before making birdie on the 18th to earn a 1-up victory and clinch the match for the Longhorns.
Texas now turns its attention overseas, with the Longhorns scheduled to compete at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate in Scotland from Oct. 12-14.
McDonald-O’Brien strikes first for Texas
McDonald-O’Brien gave Texas its opening point with a 3-and-2 victory, taking control of her match on the back nine.
She moved 1-up with a birdie on No. 12 and extended the advantage to 2-up through 15 holes. McDonald-O’Brien then delivered another birdie on the par-4 16th, closing out the match 3 and 2.
Her performance provided Texas with early momentum as the Longhorns looked to finish their appearance at PGA Frisco with a victory.
Liao takes control and never trails
Liao followed with another strong performance for Texas, never falling behind during her match.
She took the lead on the sixth hole and maintained control from there. A birdie at No. 12 stretched Liao’s advantage to 3-up, putting her firmly in position to secure another point for Texas.
She carried that margin to the 16th and completed a 3-and-2 victory.
With McDonald-O’Brien and Liao delivering early points, Texas placed itself in position to close out Oregon.
O’Keefe delivers dramatic finish to clinch match
O’Keefe faced the most pressure-packed finish of the afternoon.
O’Keefe responded on the 17th, winning the hole to bring the match back to all square.
Then came the decisive moment.
O’Keefe made birdie on No. 18 to win the hole, capture her individual match 1-up and secure the overall match-play victory for Texas.
The late rally added another highlight to an impressive week for O’Keefe at PGA Frisco.
Freshman Amy Lee adds another Longhorns point
Lee helped turn the Texas victory into a decisive 4-1 final with a 2-and-1 win.
The freshman never trailed and recorded three birdies during her round. Her steady performance added another encouraging result for a Texas lineup combining established players with young talent.
With four individual victories, the Longhorns finished their Jackson T. Stephens Cup appearance by defeating a top-15 opponent and building momentum ahead of the next stage of their fall schedule.
Texas heads to Scotland for St. Andrews Links Collegiate
The Longhorns will have several weeks before returning to competition, but their next tournament will provide an entirely different test.
Texas travels to Scotland for the St. Andrews Links Collegiate, scheduled for Oct. 12-14.
The event will take the Longhorns to one of golf’s most historic settings and give the nationally ranked program another opportunity to test its lineup against elite collegiate competition.
After closing PGA Frisco with a 4-1 match-play victory over Oregon, Texas heads into that international test with O’Keefe coming off co-medalist honors and McDonald-O’Brien, Liao and Lee each coming off individual match victories.
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-- By Andréa Mochida
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