Hello Illini Nation!
This is Alise Knudson and Isabel Sy and we are sharing our experiences from playing in the Texas Women's Open in Denton, Texas.
After the commencement and graduation ceremonies were complete, we departed Champaign and made the 13-hour drive to Alise's house in Dallas. In the two weeks leading up to the tournament we practiced at a variety of different courses including Dallas Athletic Club, Texas Rangers Golf Club, Cowboys Golf Club, and Wildhorse at Robson Ranch, where the tournament was being held. At Texas Rangers Golf Club, I was able to work with my coach, Justin Poynter, on my swing to better my takeaway and ultimately create more consistency in my ball flight. A couple days before the event began, we drove to Denton to gather information about the course. This allowed us to have a few days after the practice round and before the event to practice the areas we felt would be most beneficial to our success.
The first day of the Texas Women's Open, Alise had a morning tee time and Isabel's was in the afternoon. We experienced a delay due to rain and thunderstorms that lasted three hours. Alise was able to complete 16 holes and Isabel got in 6 holes before the delay. After the delay, we were both able to complete the round before they suspended play again due to darkness. With only a hole and a half left to complete, Alise was able to caddie for Isabel for the remainder of her round (we checked with the rules officials first!). Isabel opened with a two under par 70 while Alise shot a seven over par 79. Since play was suspended on day one and there was more rain forecasted in the morning of the second round, there was an additional four hour and forty-minute delay. Isabel teed off at 12:20 pm and shot a one over par of 73 which left her in a tie for 24th at the completion of the second round. Alise's tee time was delayed until 7:00 pm which only allowed her to play six holes before dark. Because Isabel had completed her round prior to the start of Alise's, she was able to caddie for her. She completed the rest of her round the next morning, where she finished at one under par 71.
After the second round was completed, the field was cut to the top 50 and ties which fell at two over par. Isabel finished the second round with a total of one under and was able to continue to the last round. During the last round, Alise had the opportunity to caddie for Isabel. After a somewhat slow start to the round, Isabel was able to make five birdies in seven holes. She completed the round at four under par, 68, and finished the tournament tied for 9th at five under par! We both really enjoyed the overall experience of the Texas Women's Open and being able to compete alongside each other. We can both take a lot of information away from this tournament and use it to help us in our upcoming events.
Besides competing in the tournament, we were able to explore Dallas. We went to a variety of restaurants, spent time with the Knudson family, and enjoyed time with Alise's dog, Fred. Another fun experience we were able to have was visiting Buc-ees, a chain of stores and gas stations which is widely known for their large variety of snacks and merchandise. We had a lot of fun together the last couple of weeks and it was a great way to start off our summer!
Isabel: I am so grateful to the Knudson family for everything they did for me so that I was able to compete in the Texas Women's Open. I really enjoyed my time with Alise's family, and they made me feel so welcomed. I will be forever appreciative of all they have done for me.
Alise & Isabel
