Costner makes history with conference crown

Senior Amanda Costner on Wednesday became the first player in the 31-year history of Kansas University women’s golf conference competition to take home the individual crown.

By staving off late charges by Ashley Knoll of Texas A&M and Elli Brown of Nebraska, Costner’s 77 in the final round gave her a three-day total of a five-over par 221. Knoll finished three strokes back with a 224, and Kansas placed ninth at the Big 12 Championships as a team at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco, Texas.

“The last month or so I’ve been striking the ball well, really all season I’ve been striking it well, but my putting has come and gone,” Costner said via teleconference Wednesday afternoon. “I thought it kind of depended on how well I putted.”

Costner entered the final day with a commanding seven-stroke edge on the rest of the field, but that lead took a major dent beginning with the seventh hole, where she lost five strokes over five holes.

After saving par with a 10-foot putt on the 13th, Costner went into the restroom to try and collect her thoughts, and came out to finish what she started, by posting the low-round scores over the entire field in each of the first two rounds.

“She throughout her career I think has been building up to this point,” KU coach Erin O’Neill said. “She’s definitely been in some big competitions. It was just kind of her time to do it.”

For more on this story, read tomorrow’s Journal-World and check back at KUSports.com. Click here to see the final leader board