UTEP Alum Piller Ties for 11th at Olympics

Former UTEP golf standout Gerina Piller had a tough final round at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Piller shot a three-over-par 74 and dropped from a tie for second place to a final standing tied for 11th.

Piller’s 72-hole total was 278 (69-67-68-74), six under par.

South Korea’s Inbee Park won the gold medal (66-60-70-66-268), with New Zealand’s Lydia Ko capturing the silver (69-70-65-69-273) and China’s Shanshan Feng the bronze (70-67-68-69-274).

A native of Roswell, N.M., Piller played for the Miners from 2003-07. She put together a banner senior year, winning the Conference USA championship. She was named the C-USA Player of the Year and first team All-League.
Piller led Conference USA in scoring average that year (72.8) with four tournament titles. She began her pro career on the Futures Tour before earning full playing privileges on the LPGA Tour for 2011.