University of Houston
Lone Star Invitational
Martinez Captures Lone Star Invitational Title
4/13/2021 1:55:00 PM | Women's Golf
Junior finishes at school-record 14-under 202 to earn first individual crown of collegiate career
| Scoring |
|---|
| Team | Rounds | Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| 1. | #14 Baylor | 265 | 283 | 278 | 826 | -38 |
| 2. | SMU | 286 | 288 | 285 | 859 | -5 |
| 3. | Texas State | 294 | 282 | 289 | 865 | +1 |
| 4. | BYU | 300 | 288 | 291 | 879 | +15 |
| 5. | Kansas | 297 | 296 | 295 | 888 | +24 |
| 6. | Tulane | 296 | 303 | 299 | 898 | +34 |
| HOUSTON LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| 1. | Maria Jose Martinez (Ind.) | 67 | 66 | 69 | 202 | -14 |
| 5. | Ariana Saenz (Ind.) | 70 | 70 | 69 | 209 | -7 |
| t20. | Annie Kim (Ind.) | 75 | 74 | 73 | 222 | +6 |
| OVERALL LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| 1. | Maria Jose Martinez Houston School-record 54-hole total |
67 | 66 | 69 | 202 | -14 |
| 2. | Lauren Heinlein Kansas |
73 | 65 | 68 | 206 | -10 |
| 3. | Hannah Karg Baylor |
65 | 71 | 71 | 207 | -9 |
| 4. | #8 Gurleen Kaur Baylor |
66 | 75 | 67 | 208 | -8 |
| 5. | Ariana Saenz Texas A&M |
70 | 70 | 69 | 209 | -7 |
HUMBLE, Texas – For the third straight day, University of Houston junior Maria Jose Martinez fired a round in the 60s to lead the Cougars and capture the individual title at the Lone Star Invitational at Golf Club of Houston on Tuesday afternoon.
Less than a day after setting the Houston program 36-hole record, Martinez drained five birdies, including four on her final six holes for a 69 on Tuesday and a two-day total of 14-under 202 for the first title of her collegiate career.
Martinez set a school record with her 54-hole total. She topped the previous record of 205, set by current sophomore Karen Fredgaard at the White Sands Invitational in the Bahamas on Oct. 28-30, 2019 and by Fredgaard at the ICON Invitational at Golf Club of Houston on Feb. 22-23.
She became the second Cougar to capture an individual championship this season, joining Fredgaard, who won the UCF Challenge on Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Orlando.
Martinez also became the sixth Cougar to win the ninth individual title under Head Coach Gerrod Chadwell.
Starting the Final Round off No. 12, Martinez wasted little time moving into red numbers with a birdie on the par-5 13th hole. Following four straight pars, the Alvarado, Mexico, native ran into trouble with back-to-back bogeys on No. 18 and No. 1, her only bogeys in the 54-hole tournament.
Fortunately, Martinez rallied with four straight pars and then iced the title with four birdies on her next five holes at No. 6, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10.
Senior Ariana Saenz enjoyed a bogey-free round Tuesday on the way to a 69 and finished fifth at 7-under 209 Beginning off No. 12, the Porter, Texas, native made birdie on No. 13 and, following five straight pars, made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 1-2.
Saenz closed the tournament with nine straight pars on the way to the third Top-Five finish in her collegiate career.
Junior Annie Kim tied for 21st at 222.
No. 14 Baylor claimed the team championship with a score of 826 to finish 33 shots ahead of SMU. Texas State finished third at 865 with BYU in fourth at 879.
Kansas' Lauren Heinlein finished second at 206, while Baylor's Hannah Karg and Gurleen Kaur finished third and fourth at 207 and 208, respectively.
UP NEXT
Following the Lone Star Invitational, the Cougars take their first step in the postseason when they compete in the American Athletic Conference Championships on April 18-20 on Pinehurst #6 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
The winner of the annual postseason tournament receives the league's automatic bid, scheduled for May 10-12. This season's NCAA Regionals will be held at University Club (Baton Rouge, La., LSU) Scarlet Course – OSU Golf Club (Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State); University of Louisville Golf Club (Louisville, Ky., Louisville) and Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif., Stanford).
Top teams from each NCAA Regional will compete at the NCAA Championships, set for May 21-26 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
JOIN the P.A.R. 4 CLUB
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To join the P.A.R. 4 Club, fans can email gchadwel@central.uh.edu. For more information about the P.A.R. 4 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.
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Players Mentioned
