Tulsa, Okla. ? Kansas University junior Minami Levonowich recorded an eagle, and the Jayhawks moved up a spot during the second round of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship on Wednesday at the Tulsa Country Club.
Levonowich, who eagled the par-4 closing hole in the second round of the NCAA Regional, eagled the 353-yard No. 7 hole at TCC. She used a pitching wedge.
“It just hit one bounce in the front and rolled in,” Levonowich said. “I didn’t get to see it (go in). It’s crazy, twice in a row. I had no birdies today, and if you don’t have a birdie, you might as well make an eagle. This was the first time (eagles in consecutive tournaments), and I’m glad it mattered in regionals and here.”
As a team, KU improved 20 strokes from Tuesday’s opening-round 313 and shot 293 (13-over). Kansas moved up a spot to 23rd (606, or 46-over) in the 24-team field.
“We hit the ball better today, for sure, and made a lot of ups and downs,” KU coach Erin O’Neil said. “Our putting and short game was better, and our heads were in a better place. It was still pretty windy today, and the gusts made it tough to club at times, but I think we did a good job of managing it.”
Levonowich shot 1-over 71 on the day and is tied for 24th in the 126-golfer field at 145. She’s followed by teammates Thanuttra Boonraksasat, tied for 58th, 150; Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, tied for 93rd, 154; Meghan Potee, 125th, 164; and Pornvipa Sakdee, 126th, 166.
“Minami went out and shot another steady round for us,” O’Neil said. “She was hitting fairways and greens. She had an eagle, again, from the fairway on No. 7, our 16th hole, which gave her a good little lift coming in for the last few holes. She was able to finish strong and help us move up a little bit on the leaderboard.”
Oklahoma leads the NCAA Championship after two rounds with a 575.
Oklahoma’s Alexandra Kaui shot a 3-under 67 Wednesday and leads the field with a two-round 135 (-5).
Kansas will tee off the third round at 7:30 a.m. today on hole No. 10.
