The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women’s Golf earns Big 12 postseason honors
05.31.2024 | Women's Golf
O’Keefe named Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year, Murphy named Big 12 Coach of the Year.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas women's golf freshman Farah O'Keefe was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year as the league announced its postseason awards on Friday.
Texas head coach Ryan Murphy earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors. O'Keefe along with fellow UT freshmen Lauren Kim and Selina Liao were selected to the All-Big 12 Team.
The conference head coaches nominated and voted on players for the awards.
The last time a Big 12 women's golf freshman earned the conference player and freshman of the year awards was another Longhorn, Kaitlyn Papp in 2018.
O'Keefe, a native of Austin, Texas had four top-five finishes in collegiate events this season and had a scoring average of 71.1. She carded rounds of par or better in 20 of her 28 stroke play rounds and has a 3-0 record in match play. At the NCAA Champion at Omni La Costa, O'Keefe carded a round of 6-under 66 in her second round to tie the UT women's golf program record for low round in an NCAA Championship.
O'Keefe was a co-medalist at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and is a two-time Big 12 Golfer of the Month. O'Keefe finished T5 in her first collegiate event at the highly competitive ANNIKA Intercollegiate. She followed that up with a T2 finish at the Windy City Classic. O'Keefe went 3-0 in match play to help Texas to victories over No. 5 USC, No. 10 Florida and No. 24 Arizona State at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge.
Following her co-medalist performance at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, O'Keefe finished T20 at the Augusta National Women's Amateur and third place at the Big 12 Championship. O'Keefe was T10 at the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional to help Texas to a runner-up performance at the regional and secure their 32nd appearance at the NCAA Championship.
Lauren Kim, a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 Team, shot 15 rounds at par or better this season and had an adjusted stroke average of 70.5. Kim was the individual medalist at the Jackson T Stephens Cup and finished T3 at the Big 12 Championship. Kim qualified and played in the 2022 and 2023 U.S. Open and was the 2023 Canadian Women's Amateur Champion. Kim competed at the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Selina Liao finished T5 at the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional and finished fourth at the Silverado Showdown. Liao has had her round counted in 15 of 18 rounds this season. Liao was in the lineup for the Longhorns at the Big 12 Championship, NCAA Bermuda Run Regional and NCAA Championship.
Big 12 Awards
Player and Freshman of the Year: Farah O'Keefe, Texas
Coach of the Year: Ryan Murphy, Texas
All-Big 12 Team
Pimpisa Sisutham, UCF
Molly Smith, UCF*
Moa Svedenskiold, Houston
Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn, Iowa State
Liyana Durisic, Iowa State
Carla Bernat, K-State*
Savannah Barber, Oklahoma
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Oklahoma State*
Lauren Kim, Texas*
Selina Liao, Texas
Farah O'Keefe, Texas*
*unanimous selection
