Rising Star Rewrites Record Books at Texas Golf Event and Has Jokes: “Never My Fault, Right?”

Mar 3, 2026, 10:00 AM CUT

Spain: The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin, Manilva, Spain on 20 September 2023: Pictured: Georgia Hall Team Europe in silhouette on the 12th tee during a practice round at the Solheim Cup 2023 Manilva Finca Cortesin Andalucia Spain Copyright: xAlexxToddx

Farah O’Keefe impressed the world by hitting a bogey-free seven-under 64 at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. But it was her response following the dominant round that caught the community’s attention.

Reflecting on the change she brought following eight three-putts last week, O’Keefe told Golf Channel, “After hitting three-putts last week, I went and got my putter checked. ‘Cause, it’s never my fault, right?"

And she was right! The clubmaker found a few things wrong with her putter and bent it back into shape. That certainly worked well as she hit seven birdies in the first round of Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

She continued, “I was telling you earlier, like, if I feel like I didn’t make anything, that was pretty much even-par round. But I just happened to have some longer putts drop.”

O’Keefe tied the program record for the lowest 18-round score, with her teammate Lauren Kim finishing with the same score at the same event. Additionally, the average score in the field was 76. And O’Keefe beat the field by a margin of 12. Her performance was a big part of why Texas finished as the only school to finish under par.

But it wasn’t just the putter that helped her dominate the round. Her mindset also had a role to play.

What Mentality Did Farah O’Keefe Carry for the Performance?

Talking to Golf Channel about the longer putt drops affecting her mentally on the greens, O’Keefe said, “There’s 2 ways that could go. One, you can either be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I better not miss a putt ever again.’ Or you’re like, ‘I’m on the right track. Let’s keep it rolling.’”

Her victory at the 2024 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate also brought her some confidence. The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate has now become one of the premier regular-season events in women’s college golf. It routinely features elite programs and future LPGA talent.

Her bogey-free, record-tying performance at such a key tournament put her directly in the spotlight. But can Farah O’Keefe continue to maintain the dominant run and claim a victory at the tournament once again?

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar