Texas women’s golf freshmen Lauren Kim and Farah O’Keefe finished up at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last Saturday, finishing tied for 14th and 20th places, respectively.
The tournament began last Thursday on the Island and Bluff nine-hole courses at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Over the next two days, Kim and O’Keefe both made the cut, sitting at three-over-par. This earned them the right to play at golf’s most iconic venue: Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament. The pair used Friday for an official practice round before playing their third and final round on Saturday.
Prior to the tournament, Kim was ecstatic about the opportunity to potentially play at such a famous course.
“It’s a huge tournament, and I’m just very honored that I get to be a part of history and get to walk the grounds at Augusta,” Kim said.
On the flip side, Kim already has experience in some of golf’s biggest tournaments, such as the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship and the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, which she won in the summer of 2023.
Kim made sure to emphasize the importance of not letting the moment put too much pressure on her.
“Taking experience from (those previous tournaments), if I make it a bigger deal than it actually is, it definitely puts a lot more weight on my shoulders,” Kim said. “So going into that week, I think I’m going to just treat it like another tournament.”
Clearly, her mantra worked, as she went on to have her strongest round in the finals. Kim finished one-under-par with two birdies on her final two holes. She shot rounds of 72-75-71 to finish at two-over-par.
O’Keefe, who was put on the ANNIKA Award watch list last fall for the top female Division Ⅰ golfer, had a solid three-day performance as well. She shot rounds of 71-76-73 to put herself at four-over-par in the final standings.
O’Keefe, an Austin native, was also thrilled by the possibility of playing at Augusta months in advance of the tournament.
“Obviously, it’s an exceptional event, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” O’Keefe said. “I’m really excited to be on the field and to be able to play.”
Though perhaps this was O’Keefe’s biggest stage that she has played on so far, she’s no stranger to marquee events. She competed in the U.S. Women’s Open in the summer of 2023, finished tied for second at the Windy City Collegiate Classic last fall and finished tied for first at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate earlier this spring.
Both freshmen are taking some well-earned time off while part of the team is participating in the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif. The duo will return to action in the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championships on April 18-20 in Hockley, Texas.
