Facing heavy winds, the Texas women’s golf team posted a final round team score of 300 in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday to finish the UCF Challenge in a tie for eighth at 16-over par.

“Per our team effort, we were better today in the wind than we have been this season, so, in that regard, we are making progress,” head coach Ryan Murphy said.

Junior Natalie Karcher, one of the five individuals sent to the challenge, finished 11th place with a 2-under par for the tournament — a personal best for this season and second-best of her career.

Among the other Longhorns who participated in the tournament, sophomore Julia Beck posted a 4-over par, placing her 34th. Beck has had an incredibly consistent season for the Longhorns, having competed in all four events for the Longhorns with all 12 rounds she has posted counting toward the team’s final score.

Coming in right behind Beck, senior Bertine Strauss shot a 5-over par to finish in 35th place. Strauss finished strong in the final round of the event, posting a par in her final round, which was the best of the day for
the Longhorns.

“Good round by Bertine today in 18-20 mph winds,” Murphy said. “Not many scores were at or below par today, so it’s a good note for her to finish this tournament on.”

To round things out, sophomore Anne Hakula finished in 63rd place while junior Teriza Abe shot a 19-over-par, resulting in a 92nd place finish.

The event was the fifth of the season for the Longhorns, who scored an 880 at the three-day event. Ultimately, Texas finished 30 strokes behind the winners of the tournament, the Virginia Cavaliers, who posted a 14-under par.

“Finishing eighth of 18 is not what we were striving for, but it’s an okay starting point for us this spring,” Murphy said. “From here, it’s about getting better every time we tee it up.”

The Longhorns’ next event is the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate from Feb. 22-24 at the English Turn Country Club in New Orleans, Louisiana.