The Texas women’s golf team finished in a tie for seventh place at the Silverado Showdown Wednesday in Napa, California. 

In a field of 16 total schools, many of which are highly ranked, the No. 7  Longhorns finished seventh alongside Big 12 competitor TCU. Texas ended the showdown with a total score of 883 to card a 19-over-par in total. Northwestern and USC tied for first place with total scores of 868 apiece to sit at four-over-par. 

In just her third-ever collegiate event, freshman Selina Liao finished fourth overall. Liao shot rounds of 71, 72 and 71 for a score of  214 overall and earned a two-under-par finish. 

“I’m very proud of Selina,” head coach Ryan Murphy said to Texas Athletics. “She has been working hard through this year, and it is showing in her game. Finishing under par was some terrific golf this week. She finished top-five in a very strong field. Again, very proud of Selina!” 

Hailing from Tainan City, Taiwan, Liao was a superstar recruit who waited for her breakout moment. Prior to arriving on the Forty Acres, Liao finished fourth individually in the 2022 National High School Team Championship, won the Callaway Junior World Championship in 2021, and placed 12th at the 2022 Taiwan LPGA Open Championship.

Sophomore Cindy Hsu was the second-highest Longhorn finisher at two-over-par. Her best day was her first round with two-under-par, but she also moved up eight spots on the leaderboard on day three to finish in a tie for thirteenth place. 

Sophomore Angela Heo had a decent and consistent performance over her three rounds. She got off to a bit of a rocky start, shooting a 77 to put her at five-over-par on her first day, but steadily improved over her next two rounds, shooting a 75 and 73, respectively. She made two birdies in her final round and finished tied for 48th place. 

Senior Bentley Cotton had a very strong first round going two-under-par, but she subsequently struggled on her next two days, shooting two 79’s. Cotton finished twelve-over-par and tied for 61st place individually on the final leaderboard. 

Rounding out the roster was junior Tiffany Cao. This marked the fourth tournament of the season for Cao and the second straight as she played in the PING/ASU Invitational a couple of weeks prior. She shot rounds of 78, 80 and 77 to finish at 19-over-par and tied for 80th. 

“It was a good learning experience this week at Silverado,” Murphy said to Texas Athletics. “It was a very challenging golf course that requires many different facets of the game and it was a comprehensive test for our team.” 

Up next for the Longhorns is the Big 12 Championships from April 18-20 in Hockley, Texas.