After missing two tournaments, the No. 16 Longhorns returned to the course for the Big 12 Championship in The Woodlands, Texas, in search of their fourth straight championship. But Texas never found the driver’s seat, finishing fifth at the conference tournament.

The team shot a 3-under 285 in the opening round Sunday behind strong performances from senior Agathe Laisne, senior Kaitlyn Papp and junior Sara Kouskova, whose scores placed them in the top 15.

Following up her top-10 finish at The Bruzzy, Kouskova was the leading Longhorn after day one. Kouskova was 2-under and tied for fifth place after firing off three birdies in her first seven holes. She bogeyed on the 10th but was able to par out the rest of the holes. The Longhorns sat at 3-under 285 at the end of the first day.

After scoring a 1-under par the previous round, Papp fired off a double bogey at the first hole on the second day. She rebounded by carding seven consecutive pars and four-straight birdies. Papp ended the round tied for 10th place.

After missing the fall season due to the ongoing pandemic, Laisne has been a force for the Longhorns.

This tournament was no different.

Laisne led the Longhorns the whole tournament with an even-par score, but her explosive second round moved her up to tied for eighth place.

On Tuesday, she kept up the momentum. Laisne recorded five birdies in her first 17 holes before dropping a shot on the 18th. That did not stop her in the back nine as she made birdies on the 11th, 14th and 17th holes. Laisne would close out the tournament with back-to-back scores of 4-under 68 to finish tied for fourth place with an 8-under par score.

But it wasn’t enough for Texas. The Longhorns finished in fifth place with a 10-under score, 24 shots behind the Big 12 Champions, Oklahoma State. Papp would finish tied for sixth with a 7-under score, and Kouskova would follow up with a tied for 12th place finish with a 3-under score to round out the rest of the team.

The Longhorns were also represented by freshman Ashley Park and junior Hailee Cooper. Both competed as individuals and placed tied for 35th and 44th, respectively.

The Longhorns’ postseason fate now sits in the hands of the NCAA selection committee, who will decide the team’s next step. The selection show will take place next Wednesday, April 28, at 1 p.m. CST on the Golf Channel.