University of Houston Athletics
Gilbreth, Thothong Compete at LPGA Qualifier
4/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Schedule | Cougar Pride | Tickets Info
IRVING, Texas - University of Houston stars Emily Gilbreth and Megan Thothong recently became two of only 19 golfers chosen to compete in a qualifier for the LPGA Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout.
Gilbreth and Thothong teed off Monday morning in the 18-hole qualifier at Las Colinas Country Club. The top two players from the qualifier will compete at the LPGA Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout, scheduled to begin Thursday morning. The third- and fourth-place finishers have the option to compete in the professional qualifier Monday afternoon if they choose.
Gilbreth and Thothong were chosen to compete in the qualifier through an application process and their level of play during the 2014-15 season.
As a sophomore in 2014-15, Gilbreth has competed in nine tournaments with two top-5 finishes, including a fourth-place showing at the Jim West Challenge on Nov. 2-3, 2014, and a career-best second-place finish at the UNF Collegiate on March 9-10.
With her performance in the latter tournament, Gilbreth helped lead the Cougars to the team championship, a first in program history.
Thothong has been a consistent leader for the Cougars during her first collegiate season. The Dallas native ranks second on the team with a 74.52 scoring average and seven rounds of par or better and has posted four top-10 finishes.
With a school-record 68 in the Final Round at the UNF Collegiate, Thothong helped lead the Cougars to their first team title and won her first collegiate event with a score of 217. She joined junior and current teammates Raegan Bremer as the only Cougars to earn medalist honors in the program's short history.
UP NEXT
While Gilbreth and Thothong competed in Irving, their teammates will be back in Houston for Monday evening's NCAA Selection Show. The Cougars will learn their NCAA postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show at 6 p.m., Monday, on The Golf Channel.
Houston, which checks in at No. 46 in the latest Golfstat national rankings, will be looking for the first NCAA Regional berth in school history. The Cougars began the program just one year ago with three student-athletes competing as individuals at events but were not eligible for team competition under NCAA rules.
Eighteen teams and six individuals not on those teams will compete at one of four NCAA Regionals on May 7-9. The four NCAA Regional sites are: Lonnie Poole Golf Course, hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.; Warren Golf Course, hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.; Briggs Ranch Golf Club, hosted by UTSA in San Antonio, Texas and Entrada and Snow Canyon Country Club, hosted by BYU in St. George, Utah.
The low six teams and low three individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championships, slated for May 22-27 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Hosted by USF, the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships will feature teams and student-athletes - who advanced from NCAA Regional Qualifying - competing in an individual stroke-play format over 72 holes with the top eight teams qualifying at the conclusion of play for the team match-play tournament
Golf Channel's live tournament coverage of the women's championships will begin on May 25 to crown the individual national champion as well as track the teams attempting to qualify for the 8-team match-play tournament. This year, Golf Channel's coverage will include all three rounds of the team match-play tournament on May 26-27.
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