North Texas Daily

The North Texas women’s golf team took part in its first tournament of the season this weekend, traveling to Woodbury, Minnesota for the Minnesota Invitational.

The Mean Green were thrown straight into the fire as they faced off against powerhouse schools including the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin.

The team brought home 12th place in the tournament and was led by junior Sol Lee, who shot a +7, and senior Nyca Khaw who shot a +8.

“We had good start but we needed to finish stronger,” Khaw said. “There is definitely room for improvement and we will get better.”

With it being the first tournament of the year, many of the girls were in a competitive atmosphere for the first time in several months.

“We did not know what to expect going in since some of us had summer school and most did not gain tournament experience over the summer,” Lee said. “I feel that I played bad so that not only motivates me for our next time on the course but also for the rest of the season.”

One of the major keys the team talked about needing to work on was the mental side of the game.  Head coach Michael Akers knows it will play a major role in how the team plays the rest of the year as the schedule continues to get tougher.

The Mean Green will not have a lot of time to dwell on their tournament as they travel to Manhattan, Kansas to play in the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational.  The team begins play Sept. 17 and will continue through Sept. 19.

“We have to work on being more mentally tough,” Akers said. “We must continue to think big and stay positive.  We have to treat every shot and every hole the same.”

Featured Image: North Texas then-sophomore golfer Nyca Khaw played seven games as a freshman and had a season-best finish at the Price’s Give Em Five Intercollegiate in the 2014-2015 season. Courtesy | Mean Green Athletics