Women's Golf preview: Texas A&M "Mo" Morial

Sept. 10, 2011

SEASON OPENER: The Texas Women's Golf team will open the 2011-12 season Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Texas A&M "Mo" Morial in Bryan, Texas. The three-day, 54-hole event will be contested at the par-72, 6,260-yard Traditions Club.

TESTED OUT OF THE GATE: The Longhorns will be tested right out of the gate as eight of Golfweek Magazine's Top-50 teams are competing in the Texas A&M "Mo" Morial. Not only will Texas be looking to defend their 2011 Big 12 Championship win against runner-up Texas A&M, but the Longhorns will also be aiming to make a statement against tough out-of-conference competition, as well.

THE FIELD: 11 teams - Auburn (15), Coastal Carolina (41), Florida State (29), Kentucky, Michigan State (16), North Texas, Oklahoma (27), Texas (22), Texas A&M (24), Tulane (23), UT-San Antonio, plus individuals. Rankings (in parenthesis) based on the 2011-12 Golfweek Magazine Preseason Top 50.

LIVE SCORING: Fans can follow the Longhorns in action online at http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2904.

TEXAS LINEUP: Head coach Martha Richards' first lineup of the season is steered by reigning Big 12 Golfer of the Year Madison Pressel (Boca Raton, Fla.). Senior Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ontario) is slated No. 2 and junior Haley Stephens (Greer, S.C.) will compete at No. 3. Freshman Bertine Strauss (Koster, South Africa) is set to make her collegiate debut at No. 5 and junior Katelyn Sepmoree (Tyler, Texas) rounds out the Longhorns in the fifth spot. Senior Megan Rosenfeld (Plano, Texas) and junior Desiree Dubreuil (Santa Ana, Calif.) are competing as individuals in the season opener.

MEET THE LINEUP
No. 1 - Madison Pressel
 -Dominated the 2011 Big 12 Championship (April 22-24, 2011) with an impressive first place finish at eight under par, five strokes ahead of the runner-up. 
-Holds the Big 12 Championship records for lowest single-round score for her 66 in the second round, lowest 36-hole score at 137, and lowest 54-hole score at 208 (71-66-71). 
-Named among GolfWorld's "Top 50 College Players to Watch" for the 2011-2012 season.
 -Earned honorable mention All-America accolades in the 2011 Golfweek NCAA Division I Women's All-America team. 
-Named to the 2011 All-Big 12 Team and 2011 Academic All-Big 12 First Team. 
-2011 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and April Big 12 Conference Golfer of the Month 
-Finished in the top 10 four times and completed six rounds under par in her sophomore season. 

No. 2 - Nicole Vandermade 
-One of only two Longhorn golfers to compete in all 30 rounds of the 2010-11 season.
 -Finished under par in five rounds of her junior season. 
-Tied for sixth place at the PING ASU Invitational (April 1-3, 2011) and placed eighth at the Landfall Tradition (October 22-24, 2010). 
-2011 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team 
-Advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2011 British Amateur Championship (June 7-11, 2011). 
-Granted an exemption in at the LPGA CN Canadian Women's Open (Aug. 25-28, 2011) by Golf Canada for her play this year as a member of the Canadian national women's golf team. 

No. 3 - Haley Stephens
 -Posted UT's top finish at the 2011 NCAA Central Regional Championship (May 5-7, 2011) with a tie for 27th place.
 -One of only two Longhorn golfers to compete in all 30 rounds of the 2010-11 season. 
-Finished under par in three rounds of her sophomore season.
 -Tied for 5th place at the UCF Challenge (Feb. 13-15, 2011) where she finished one under par.
 -Tied for 23rd place at the Big 12 Championship (April 22-24, 2011). 
-2011 Academic All-Big 12 First Team -Tied for 64th place at the 2011 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship (August 10-14, 2011).
 
No. 4 - Bertine Strauss
-Ranked No. 9 among all South African Women Golfers in spring 2011.
-Finished second in the stroke play portion of the Sanlam South African Women's Amateur Golf Championship before falling in the semifinals of the match play event (April 2011).
-Three-time South African Junior Champion
-2010 Gauteng North Junior Championship runner-up
-Medalist at the 2009 Nomads South African Girls' Championship, WGSA Stroke Play Championship, Gauteng Stroke Play Championship, Western Province Match Play Championship and Eastern Cape Match Play Championship.
-Member of the South African National Team for the North West Province
-Chosen to represent South Africa in The Astor Trophy 2011, a round robin event held every four years between Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.

No. 5 - Katelyn Sepmoree
 -Secured a career best fifth-place finish at the Dale McNamara Invitational (October 11-13, 2010). 
-Competed in 27 rounds for the Longhorns in 2010-11.  
-Finished under par in one round of her sophomore season. 

Individual - Megan Rosenfeld 
-Tied for 30th at the PING ASU Invitational (April 1-3, 2011).
 -2011 Academic All-Big 12 First Team
-Won the 2011 Collegiate Players Tour (CPT) Flintrock

Individual - Desiree Dubreuil
 -Tied for 70th at the NCAA Fall Preview (Sept. 13-15, 2010). 
-2011 Academic All-Big 12 First Team

WHAT RETURNS: Texas is set to build upon its 2011 Big 12 Championship in Martha Richards' fifth season as head coach. The Longhorns return a strong squad of starters that include 2011 Big 12 individual champion Madison Pressel. Also returning are junior Haley Stephens, senior Nicole Vandermade, junior Katelyn Sepmoree, senior Megan Rosenfeld and junior Desiree Dubreuil. Stephens and Vandermade competed in all 10 events last season, and Pressel and Sepmoree saw action in nine.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics