Twice is Nice: Kawinpakorn Nabs Second-Consecutive Tournament Victory at Chip-N Club Invitational

LINCOLN, Neb. – Not since the early 1990s when former Kansas women’s golfer Holly Reynolds roamed the greens at Alvamar Country Club has KU had a golfer as dominant as current senior Yupaporn “Mook” Kawinpakorn. Kawinpakorn’s two consecutive tournament victories matches a feat Reynolds achieved twice, in the fall of 1992 and the spring of 1994. Trailing by two strokes heading into the final round, Kawinpakorn surged ahead of the 75-golfer field at the Chip-N Club Invitational at Lincoln Country Club with a 68 (-4) to finish two strokes ahead of Isabella Dilisio of Notre Dame. Kawinpakorn ended the tournament with a 212 (-4).
 
“Winning back to back is awesome to me, but I still left so many shots out there and I think there are still many areas that I can improve. My main goal is to shooting under par every round and I believe the rest will take care of itself,” Kawinpakorn said following her second-straight tournament title as she won the Schooner Classic Sept. 21 in Norman, Oklahoma. “However, I see a lot of improvements in my teammates; they work as hard as me so I would like to see them shoot scores that they are capable of. And again, I would like to thank the coaches for pushing me, it means a lot.”
 
KU head coach Erin O’Neil was thrilled by Kawinpakorn’s performance and attributed the golfer’s success to her tireless work ethic.
 
“Mook had another great tournament. She came out today ready to get another win and played very well with five birdies and one bogey. I’m sure some may look at her and think that her success comes easily but she has a rare work ethic and passion for golf,” she said. “There have been plenty of heartbreaks and setbacks along the way which have taught her, not only how to compete, but how to win. The scary thing is that she left shots out there the last two days, which means she has it in her to take it even deeper. Mook has really grown as a player and a person during her time at KU and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Spearheaded by Kawinpakorn’s performance, Kansas was able to secure its first top-three finish of the 2015-16 season with a 893 (+29), three strokes behind second-place South Dakota State and 33 strokes behind winner Notre Dame.
 
Joining Kawinpakorn in the top-10 was KU freshman Ariadna Fonseca Diaz, who carded a 218 (+2) to tie for sixth. The last time a Jayhawk duo finished in the top-10 of consecutive tournaments was in the fall of 2013 during Kansas’ historic 2013-14 season which ended at the NCAA Championship.
 
“Ari had a fabulous final round today and earned another top 10 finish. She played consistently throughout the day and had 14 birdies and four pars in the final round,” O’Neil said. “She is adjusting well to college golf and we are excited about what her future holds.”

Jayhawk sophomore Pitsinee Winyarat had her best finish of her career at the Chip-N Club  tying for 24^th with a 230 (+14). Freshman Laine Evans tied for 40^th in the 75-golfer rield with a 235 (+19). Sophomore MacKenzie Sexe had a career-best finish after tying for 49^th with a 240 (+24).
 
KU sophomore Kallie Gonzales and freshman Victoria Chandra, competing as individuals, also recorded career bests. Gonzales tied for 29^th with a 231 (+15), a career-best placement and 54-hole score for her. Chandra tied for 32^nd with a 233 (+17), also recording career-bests in placement and 54-hole score.
 
Kansas will conclude the fall portion of its 2015-16 schedule at the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Johns Island, South Carolina on October 25-27.
 
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