LAUREN TAYLOR SCORES FIRST US WIN - BIG 12 CHAMPION BY EIGHT SHOTS!

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com 

Lauren Taylor, youngest ever British women's open amateur champion two years ago at Royal Portrush, has put herself into contention for a place in the GB and I team for the Vagliano Trophy match at Chantilly in late June with a tremendous performance in the United States.
A freshman student at Baylor University, Texas, on Sunday the Woburn GC member from Rugby won the Big 12 Women's Conference championship at the Harvester Golf Club, Rhodes, Iowa by the resounding margin of EIGHT strokes! 
It was her first win in the States, coming up to the end of her first college year over there.
 Here is what the Baylor University website had to say about it:

Big 12 Championship Final Results  

RHODES, Iowa - Freshman Lauren Taylor won the Big 12 Women's Golf Championship individual title, and Baylor finished in second place after shooting 14-over-par 302 in Sunday's final round at the Harvester Golf Club.
Baylor's second-place finish was the best in program history, one spot ahead of 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2012, when the Lady Bears took third place.
"I'm proud of the whole team," head coach Jay Goble said. "I think in a lot of ways this is going to give us more confidence going into the last two tournaments of the year. That's three second-place finishes in a row for us now. We're peaking at the right time, playing better, and I feel good about us getting to nationals."
The Lady Bears (+43, 907) finished just two strokes back of the tournament champion, 17th-ranked Oklahoma State (+41, 905). Iowa State (+48, 912) placed third overall, and Oklahoma (+64, 928) and Texas Tech (+67, 931) rounded out the top five.
Taylor (-3, 74-68-71=213) became the second freshman in conference history to win the individual title, joining Oklahoma State's Jaclyn Sweeney, who won in 2008.
Taylor recorded her second straight sub-par score by shooting a final round 1-under-par 71. She won the tournament by eight strokes over Iowa State's Punpaka Phuntumabamrung (+5, 221), and Taylor was 10 strokes ahead of third place finisher A C Tanguay (+7, 223) of Oklahoma. 
Taylor carded the lowest score of the tournament in each of the three rounds.
"It's my first college win, so it's pretty big for my confidence level," Taylor said. "And I won by quite a large margin, so I'm pretty happy with that. I think it's going to make me a lot stronger, and I know I'm a lot more confident now."
Taylor's total score of 213 matched the fourth-lowest 54-hole score in championship history. Taylor also birdied hole No. 4 in each round, which was the second-longest hole on the course at 495 yards.
Sophomore Hayley Davis (+8, 224) from Dorset  finished in fourth place, two strokes ahead of Iowa State's Cajsa Persson (+10, 226) and Oklahoma State's Kelsey Vines (+10, 226), who tied for fifth. Taylor and Davis both made the All-Tournament team. 
A third English-born Baylor student    Emma Carberry (+21, 237), a second-year student from Hailsham tied for 25th place.
The 2013 NCAA women's golf selection show is scheduled for April 29 at 8 p.m. CT. The Lady Bears are expected to earn the 12th NCAA Tournament bid in the last 14 seasons. Follow the official twitter feed of Baylor women's golf, @BaylorWGolf, for updates throughout the season.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS
1. Oklahoma State (+41, 317-289-299=905)
2. BAYLOR (+43, 319-286-302=907)
3. Iowa State (+48, 320-286-306=912)
4. Oklahoma (+64, 322-293-313=928)
5. Texas Tech (+67, 316-296-319=931)
t6. Texas (+72, 327-297-312=936)
t6. TCU (+72, 326-294-316=936)
8. Kansas (+77, 322-304-315=941)
9. Kansas State (+117, 350-306-325=981)

BAYLOR PLAYERS AT BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Lauren Taylor (-3, 74-68-71=213)
4. Hayley Davis (+8, 80-69-75=224)
t17. Laura Lonardi (+17, 83-73-77=233)
t25. Emma Carberry (+21, 82-76-79=237)
t35. Annette Lyche (+26, 84-78-80=242)

FOOTNOTE:
Criteria for selection of GB and I team of nine for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Chantilly in late
 June:

• The top 4 players from the WAGR (subject to being in the top 20) will be automatic selections ;
• The Selection Panel, as defined in the LGU Regulations, including the Vagliano Team Captain, will choose the remaining members of the team, taking into consideration the overall performance of players in the LGU Order of Merit events and taking cognisance of other tournaments; and
• Reserves will be the leading 2 players from the WAGR who are not already selected under the criteria outlined above.