OSU Cowgirls Golf Star Makes Latvian History with Palmer Cup Selection

After the Oklahoma State Cowgirls compete in the NCAA Tournament, one of their top players will play in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup.

Lighted Oklahoma State logo in the lobby of an arena. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Marta Silchenko and the rest of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls golf team are getting ready for the NCAA Tournament, which starts next week with regionals in Chapel Hill, N.C.

But, once the NCAAs are done, Silchenko will be getting ready for one of the most prestigious international events for amateurs as she was selected to play for Team International in the Arnold Palmer Cup.

Oklahoma State announced her selection via release. The tournament is set for July 3-5 at Tralee Golf Club in Ireland. The tournament is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Marta Silchenko’s Impressive OSU Career

Silchenko made history as a coach’s selection. She is the first Latvian golfer to be selected to play. Team International won the last event, 35-25, and is modeled after the Ryder Cup with mixed four-ball matches, mixed foursomes, and singles matches. Both teams have 23 players — 12 men and 11 women.

She also notched her name in program history as the fourth Cowgirls golfer to be selected to the Palmer Cup team since it was expanded to include women’s players in 2018. The other OSU players selected to play included Maja Stark (2020), Isabella Fierro (2021) and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (2023).

Silchenko has had a tremendous season for the Cowgirls and is ranked No. 28 in the NCAA Division I Individual Rankings and No. 61 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, both career-highs.

She enters next week’s NCAA Tournament as a first team All-Big 12 selection, Big 12 co-scholar athlete of the year honors and a spot on the all-Big 12 Tournament team.

Silchenko was OSU’s most consistent player for the season, as she led the team with a 71.35 stroke average and a +0.1 average scoring against par. She also shot 10 rounds in the 60s, 14 rounds at par or better and had seven Top 10 finishes. All led the team and all were career bests for her.

The Cowgirls are the No. 4 seed going into the Chapel Hill regional, which is 54 holes and set for May 11-13 at the home course of the University of North Carolina.

OSU is preparing to play in the NCAA regionals for 20th time in the last 32 years and is seeking another trip to the NCAA national championship tournament, where it has ended its season each of the last five years. The top five finishers at UNC will earn a trip to the NCAA championship tournament from May 22-27 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.