The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women’s Golf signs three for 2023-24 season
11.10.2022 | Women's Golf
Texas staff signs Selina Liao, Lauren Kim and Farah O’Keefe.
AUSTIN, Texas — Three outstanding junior players have signed to play golf at The University of Texas, head coach Ryan Murphy announced Wednesday. Selina Liao, Lauren Kim and Farah O'Keefe will join the Longhorns for the 2023-24 season.
A native of Tainin City, Taiwan, Liao is ranked No. 138 in the World Amateur Golf Rakings and is a Taiwan National Golf Team member. Liao was the winner of the Callaway Junior World Championships in 2021 and took 11th place in the World Junior Girls Championship in 2022. Liao has a career low round of 65 and placed 12th in the Taiwan LPGA Open Championship in 2022. She placed seventh in the World Amateur Team Championship in 2022 and 19th in the Southwestern Amateur Championship in 2022.
"Selina has been a model of consistency through her junior career up to this point and moved into the top 150 in the World Amateur Rankings," Murphy said. "She has won at the junior level on multiple occasions and has had some very impressive finishes in big-stage amateur (and professional) events back home in Taiwan as well as various places around the globe. Selina has a beautiful golf swing and a demeanor just as impressive on the golf course. Having a great friendship with Cindy Hsu, we anticipate Selina transitioning into our program very quickly upon arriving."
Kim, a native of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Player of the Year in 2022 and is ranked No. 261 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Kim took third-place at the Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, second-place at the Canadian Summer Games and second-place at the NextGen Pacific Championship. Kim is ranked No. 55 in the American Junior Golf Association and No. 30 on the Junior Golf Scoreboard. She placed ninth at the World Junior Girls Championship. In the summer of 2021, Kim won three AJGA events and set three tournament records for lowest overall score. At the age of 12 Kim was the youngest to make the cut at the 2018 Canadian Women's Amateur Championship and at the age of 13 qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur.
"Lauren has been committed to us for over a year now and I'm excited to get her on campus next fall," Murphy said. "She has had tremendous success as a junior having won various national tournaments. She has also gained terrific experiences on much larger stages like the Women's US Open Championship last summer as well as the World Amateur Championships. Lauren will be a freshman when she arrives, but her experience in the game will be significant. She will undoubtedly make us stronger upon arriving on campus."
A native of Austin, Texas, O'Keefe was the winner of the 2022 Texas State UIL Golf Championships 5A and is ranked No. 391 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. O'Keefe made the cut in the LPGA VOA Classic in Dallas and was the low amateur. O'Keefe captured victory at the George Hannon Junior Invitational and Texas Bluebonnet Championship and finished runner-up at the Sergio and Angela Garcia Foundation Junior Championship. O'Keefe is ranked No. 20 in Golfweek, No. 21 on the Junior Golf Scoreboard and No. 65 in the American Junior Golf Association. She qualified for the Round of 64 in the U.S.G.A. Junior Girls and in 2022 shot a career low (134) in the UIL District Championship.
"We knew Farah was as a good young local player when she was younger, but when she qualified and subsequently made the cut in an LPGA Tour event she had our full attention," Murphy said. "Farah has taken her game to a new level over the past couple of years and she has some attributes that few her age possess. She has length off the tee, a nice high ball flight with her irons, terrific mechanics with her wedge play and has the ability to get really hot with the putter. When you add this all up, it's a professional-caliber game. Farah is among the very best American players coming out of the '23 class and I'm happy that she's decided to stay right here in Austin for college."