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THACKERVILLE, Okla. (April 20) – Winning a second straight individual title wasn't what Cassy Knight had in mind when play began Sunday in the Lone Star Conference Women's Golf Championships, but in the end there was no denying the Central Oklahoma standout.
Knight birdied three of the final five holes to fire a two-under-par 70 and captured medalist honors by two strokes here Tuesday at the WinStar Golf Course to lead the Bronchos to a fourth-place team finish.
“I wasn't trying to win it again, I was just trying to play good,” Knight said. “It's awesome, a great feeling. I played the best I have all season and everything came together.”
UCO had its season-low score for the second straight day, shooting a 296 to finish the three-day, 54-hole tournament with a 922 total. Tarleton State had a closing 289 to win the 10-team tournament at 903, followed by West Texas A&M (907), Angelo State (912) and the Bronchos.
Knight's 70 led the way for UCO, while Erica Bensch added a career-low 72, Raelynn Farthing a 74, Mychael McWhorter an 80 and Emily Leahey an 84.
Knight entered the final round one shot off the lead and trailed by three after shooting a front-nine 37. The senior opened the back nine with four consecutive pars before surging in front with a three-hole birdie binge.
A tee shot to two feet on the 138-yard par-3 14th hole ignited that surge, with Knight getting another tap-in birdie on the par-4 15th with an approach inside two feet and she completed the run with an eight-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th.
“I struggled with those holes (14-15-16) the past two days and just wanted to knock the pin down,” Knight said. “I did that on 14 and 15 and it helped me a lot. It was really exciting there at the end.”
Knight then parred the final two holes to polish off the 70 and end with an even-par 216 total. It took an hour before the final two challengers finished and Knight's victory was secure.
“I couldn't be more proud of Cassy for the way she played in this tournament and in particular the last nine holes when she was under the gun,” UCO coach Michael Bond said. “She was determined to play well and hit some big-time golf shots down the stretch under a lot of pressure.
“Erica and Raelynn both came out and did a great job today. They played like I know they're capable of and it was nice to end the season with our best round of the year.”
Farthing had her third straight high league finish, tying for seventh with a 225 total after coming in fourth and 15th the past two years. The junior had two birdies in shooting a one-under 35 on the front nine before making six pars and three bogeys in a back-nine 39.
Bensch was steady all day in shooting her career-low round after struggling the first two days of the tournament. The sophomore offset two front-nine bogeys with a pair of birdies to make the turn at even par and then reeled off nine straight pars on the back nine.
