Farah O'Keefe (Ben Adelberg/Back of the Range Photo)
When Texas rising sophomore Farah O’Keefe wants a competitive match, she never has to look too hard.
It’s just one of the perks of playing for a school that ran away with the Big 12 title in both men’s and women’s golf this year.
“We all work really, really hard,” said O’Keefe, the 2024 Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year. “It’s great to just have competitive playing partners right there next to you all the time.”
O’Keefe has been better than everyone through two days of the 124th Women’s Western Amateur at Onwentsia Club. The Austin, Texas, native posted a 3-under 69 in the second round on Wednesday to capture medalist honors. Her two-day score of 8-under put her one shot ahead of Western Kentucky’s Catie Craig and clinched the top seed heading into match play.
The 32-player cut came at 2-over par. Match play will begin with Round of 32 matches on Thursday morning, with the Round of 16 to follow in the afternoon.
O’Keefe joins an accomplished list of medalists, including Grace Park, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis, Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson and Louise Suggs. She’s trying to become the first Longhorn to win the Women’s Western Amateur since Emilee Hoffman in 2018.
As the championship shifts to match play, O’Keefe can draw on some recent success. She helped Team USA win the Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland earlier this month, winning her singles match on the final day.
“The biggest thing for match play is limiting your mistakes,” she said. “If you’re making a lot of pars, you’re putting a lot of pressure on your playing opponent. Especially if you drop a few putts here and there, it’s even more pressure.”
Craig earned the No. 2 seed for match play, finishing at 7-under par. The Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia, native made six birdies and just one bogey in the second round to post a 5-under 67.
“I started birdie-birdie. I made an 18-footer and a 14-footer, and then the rest of my birdies were actually longer putts,” said Craig, who entered the week leading the Women’s Elite Amateur Golf Series. “I just knew I had to go as low as possible today and just hit greens and make putts.”
Annabelle Pancake, of Zionsville, Indiana, finished third at 6-under par. Pancake, a 2024 Golfweek All-American, made four bogeys in the second round but was able to battle back with five birdies.
A Clemson graduate who finished runner-up at the 2022 Women’s Western Amateur, Pancake said she’s enjoying being part of the championship’s return to its founding site. The Women’s Western Amateur was first played at Onwentsia in 1901.
“It’s really cool to see all the history and to know that happened a long time ago,” Pancake said. “It’s cool to be part of it and hopefully make history again.”
Pancake isn’t the only former runner-up returning to match play. Stanford’s Sadie Englemann is back after falling in the final at White Eagle Golf Club a year ago. The Austin, Texas, native opened with a first-round 74 but rebounded with a 2-under 70 on Wednesday to finish tied for 15th.
Also making match play were O’Keefe’s Texas teammates Bohyun Park, of Korea, Huai-Chien Hsu, of Taiwan, and Hsin Chun Liao, of Taiwan. Park finished tied for 15th at even par and Hsu tied for 19th at 1-over. Liao finished at 2-over par and survived a 5-for-4 playoff.
Suzie Tran, of Poulsbo, Washington, missed match play at 3-over par but earned the Marion Miley Bracelet for being the low stroke-play finisher across both the Women’s Western Amateur and Women’s Western Junior.
Held without interruption since 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.
Recap courtesy of the Western Golf Association
View results for Women's Western Amateur
ABOUT THE Women's Western Amateur
The The Western Golf Association (WGA) has
partnered with the Women’s Western Golf
Association to administer the
Women’s Western Amateur. Held without interruption
since 1901, this event is one of the
oldest annual championships in women’s amateur
golf. The list of past champions includes
current stars and legends of the LPGA TOUR,
including Ariya Jutanugarn (2012), Stacy Lewis
(2006), Brittany Lang (2003), Grace Park (1998),
Cristie Kerr (1995) and Nancy Lopez (1976).
The Women's Western Amateur is open to amateur
women who have an up-to-date 18-hole
handicap index
that does not exceed 5.4 under the World Handicap
System. The WWGA Committee limits the
field to a
maximum of 120 contestants.
The championship begins with 36 holes of stroke-
play qualifying, after which the field is cut to
the low 32
players for match play. In the event of a tie for the
32nd position, a sudden-elimination playoff
will determine
the final match play qualifiers. Five rounds of 18-hole
matches will decide the Women's
Western Amateur
champion.
View Complete Tournament Information