Two Texas women’s golf athletes, junior Farah O’Keefe and senior Cindy Hsu, were named to the final fall watchlist for the 2025-2026 ANNIKA Award, given to the best collegiate women’s golfer annually.
O’Keefe earned a spot on this year’s list with consistently strong play, finishing in the top five at all but one of Texas’ tournaments this fall. She is no stranger to award consideration, being named to the final fall watchlist every year of career.
“My freshman year, it kind of took me by surprise that I was even on the list. Then in the spring I didn’t choke, but I kind of was thinking about it a little bit more than I should have,” O’Keefe said. “Last year I did a much better job of managing those expectations and continuing to play my game and I think it’s going to be the same thing this year.”
Hsu placed 10th at the star-studded ANNIKA Award Invitational in early September. Despite being new to this kind of recognition, Hsu is not letting the hype get to her.
“I didn’t really feel like anything, but it means I have a chance to win the ANNIKA at the end of the year, which is a very good thing to work on and look forward to,” Hsu said.
However, team success remains the top priority for both. While they had strong individual campaigns, Texas as a team slipped from No. 10 to No. 11. Despite the slip, O’Keefe remains confident in their abilities.
“I feel like our finishes don’t reflect exactly how we played as a team,” O’Keefe said. “I feel like for everybody on the team, this was a huge growing semester and learning semester. … I think there’s just an overwhelming amount of positives to take away from it, and I’m really excited to get that rolling as we head into the spring.”
Last year’s national champion, the Northwestern Wildcats, ranked 9th in the final 2024 fall poll, so there is precedent for a team of Texas’ standing to win it all. To achieve that feat, Texas will need to achieve more consistency.
The Longhorns used three different lineups across their four tournaments, so figuring out a consistent group of five should be a top priority for head coach Laura Ianello. As for the players, they will need to discover areas of improvement individually.
“I’m gonna work more on my strength and speed stuff, hopefully I can gain more distance, which will make the game a little easier,” Hsu said.
Texas women’s golf begins its spring season on Feb. 1 at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, California.
