Category: Women

Pepperdine brings back talented core for title defense at Golfweek Red Sky Challenge

Pepperdine is on a roll that dates to April. The Waves have won five of their last six starts, with the latest victory coming in familiar territory.

Pepperdine is on a roll that dates to April. The Waves have won five of their last six starts, with the latest victory coming in familiar territory.

The Golfweek Red Sky Challenge is the team’s second start this fall and second win. In Pepperdine’s title defense at the scenic layout, nestled into the mountains at more than 8,000 feet in Wolcott, Colo., and its fifth victory here overall in the tournament’s 13-year history, the Waves were even par for 54 holes to edge New Mexico State by 10 shots.

“We love playing at beautiful Red Sky and are excited to start the season with two double-digit wins,” head coach Laurie Gibbs said.

Pepperdine’s core of Lion Higo, Kaleiya Romero, Lauren Gomez and Jeneath Wong all finished in the top 12 at Red Sky. KaYee Kwok brought in a T-32 finish. Familiarity is at work in many ways as Pepperdine, which was ranked No. 15 in Golfweek’s preseason rankings, continues to find its way to the top of leaderboards.

A year ago at Red Sky, Gibbs predicted that it could be an exciting year for the Waves. That was before Wong, a talented Australian player, joined the team. She finished in the top 10 four times in the spring.

After winning the West Coast Conference Championship and the NCAA San Antonio Regional, Pepperdine made national championship match play, losing a close quarterfinal match against top-seeded Stanford.

A year ago when Pepperdine won this tournament, the Waves went 18 under to do so. Only UCLA had ever gone lower in event history, reaching 32 under to win in 2018. Next year, the Golfweek Red Sky Challenge field will return to 20 teams, and with the .500 rule debuting in women’s golf, more top-25 teams could find their way to the mountains.

Red Sky is a tricky yet rewarding venue and bared its teeth this week with the help of slick, smooth greens and weather conditions.

“The course was in great shape and greens were rolling at 12.5,” Gibbs said. “The winds picked up mid-round today and hitting greens got to be challenging. Being above the hole on a downhill putt was difficult.”

The challenge makes Alison Gastelum, a New Mexico State senior, like Red Sky that much more. Gastelum won the individual title at 7 under after a final-round 68.

Alison Gastelum, New Mexico State
Alison Gastelum, New Mexico State (Golfweek photo)

“Just (where) it is and how it plays is definitely unique in comparison to a lot of other courses,” she said. “It was definitely more challenging this year than I remember too. The greens were fast, very, very fast, but the course was in great conditions too so it was just a matter of your short game to be up there and just making some putts, right?”

Gastelum did the work, making as many birdies – 13 – as any player in the field. Gastelum had competition for the top spot on the leaderboard throughout the day with Madison Holmes of Central Arkansas. Holmes made a hole-in-one on the par-3 ninth on her way to a closing 70, but Gastelum played the back nine in 2 under to overtake her by two shots.

The Golfweek Red Sky Challenge is Gastelum’s first college title. She called it a “dream come true.”

“Making this my first one at the course that I like, just with my teammates and everybody that was around me at this time,” she said.

New Mexico State has already had a busy fall, having traveled to the Golfweek Fall Challenge in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, and the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin. Gastelum placed fifth on the team in each of those starts as she struggled with her swing and her mental game.

“This is a very challenging sport, especially mentally, and I know how it works,” she said. “I’ve been playing golf since I was 5 years old so I know how it works, I know that sometimes you can have really, really bad rounds and sometimes you can have probably the best rounds of your life.”

Gastelum concentrated on bringing the game she had to Red Sky and credits her win to a better mentality.

After all, it’s tough to be negative against such a beautiful backdrop.

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Familiarity leads North Carolina-Wilmington to victory at Golfweek Fall Challenge

“It was an incredible battle,” UNCW head coach Cindy Ho said of a final-round horserace with Lipscomb.

So much was familiar in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, this week. North Carolina-Wilmington often starts its season this way – by making the drive a couple hours south down the coast to the Golfweek Fall Challenge at Caledonia Golf Club.

“This is the type of grass we play in, this is a very similar style golf course that we might face here,” said head coach Cindy Ho. “I love staying in the villas because it’s a great first team bonding kind of situation where especially if I had new players, they get to know each other.”

Not much getting-to-know-each-other is required for this UNCW team, which features several players from last season, so there’s familiarity in that respect too.

The week only diverged from familiar after Mallory Fobes holed the final putt on Caledonia’s daunting finishing hole, featuring a tight landing zone off the tee and an approach over water. When Fobes made bogey there to cap off a closing 69, it left UNCW a shot ahead of Lipscomb, with their first victory in the Golfweek Fall Challenge after four appearances.

Scoring: Golfweek Fall Challenge

“It was an incredible battle,” Ho said of a final-round horserace with Lipscomb. “At this time of year, you’re learning about your kids, you can’t simulate pressure but this is how you make it real. . . . Trying to compete, trying to win under that kind of pressure, pulling off shots – especially finishing on 18. Eighteen has had our number.”

On Tuesday, by the time UNCW – playing in the final groups with Lipscomb and Charleston Southern – approached the final hole, there were several groups stacked on the tee. Most of Ho’s players draw the ball, which means they can’t hit driver off the tee at that 377-yard par 4. That set up many more decisions down the hole, like where to aim on the approach and how much the wind would affect both line and club choice.

UNCW ended up playing the hole, the toughest for the field, in 1 over.

Ho jokes that checking Golfstat constantly during a round is too much for her blood pressure, but on the final day at Caledonia, a comment from Lipscomb head coach Shannon O’Brien about how well UNCW was playing led Ho to open up live scoring anyway.

It’s just not No. 18 that’s a challenge at Caledonia, but also the three holes leading up to it. Ho was proud of the way that her players rose to the occasion, especially fifth-year senior Fobes and redshirt sophomore Victoria Levy, who finished 1-2 on the individual leaderboard. Fobes was 4 under for the week and Levy, along with New Mexico State’s Emma Bunch, was 2 under.

Fobes is playing her COVID year, and Ho can’t think of a better way for it to start than with an individual title – the first of her career. It’s fitting for a player who owns many of UNCW’s program scoring records to now own some hardware.

“I’m just so proud of her, I’m so happy for her that she’s done so much work on her game,” Ho said. “You do so much work and you hope but you can’t control anybody else’s game. You can’t control your opponents in golf. The only thing you can control is your game, your emotions, how you react to it. She did the work and she was rewarded for it this time.”

Levy also shined as the coach’s pick in the lineup. Levy has had pneumonia and bronchitis almost from the moment she stepped on campus this fall and as a result has hit very few shots leading up to the first tournament. Coming down the stretch on Tuesday, she had a chip-in eagle on No. 15 then birdied No. 16 with a downhill, curling left-to-right foot putt to an unfamiliar right hole location.

Annika Saidleman, playing in the No. 3 position to start the week, brought in a final-round 72 and finished T-28 individually. Saidleman wasn’t in the UNCW lineup last year but was part of the team.

As Ho said, it takes everyone to win over three days.

“This group is really close, and I love that for them,” Ho said, noting how hard they celebrated Fobes’ individual win at the end of the day. “They’re genuinely happy for a person that won, not just about themselves, whether they played good or bad.”

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Golfweek/Mizuno WGCA 2023-24 women’s college golf preseason coaches polls

It’s time to tee it up for a new season of women’s college golf.

It was just over three months ago that Wake Forest defeated USC to capture its first women’s national title at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale.

Now, it’s time to tee it up for a new season of college golf.

With that, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association has announced the 2023-24 Preseason Golfweek/Mizuno WGCA coaches polls.

This year, it’s Stanford that will start in the No. 1 spot with Wake Forest not far behind. Check out the full lists of all the preseason coaches polls for Div. I, Div. II, Div. III and NAIA.

These polls will be updated roughly once per month during the season.

Which school has the most NCAA women’s golf team championships?

Who has the most women’s college golf national titles?

There are very few “dynasties” in women’s college golf. When it comes to national championships, however, one thing is certain: The addition of match play at the NCAA Women’s Championship in 2015 brings more teams into the mix.

The following list gives a picture of the top teams’ postseason prowess. Arizona State and Duke, with eight and seven national titles, respectively, top the list.

The NCAA only documents national champions since the 1982 season. Beginning in 1971, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women governed women’s college athletics and administered the national championship. The AIAW, as it was known, discontinued sponsorship of national championships after the 1981-82 academic year and was later dissolved. Before the AIAW’s formation, the Division for Girls’ and Women’s Sports organized women’s intercollegiate championships.

The following list mentions AIAW titles, when they are notable, but only NCAA titles make up each school’s official championship count for the purposes of this list.

Stanford’s Rose Zhang, Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent win Golfweek’s 2022-23 Player of the Year honors

Check out Golfweek’s college golf Players of the Year.

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The 2022-23 college golf season is complete, which means it’s time to continue handing out postseason awards.

A pair of veteran teams took home the trophies from Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the championships were contested for a third and final time of a three-year deal. In the individual competitions, there were big come-from-behind victories on both sides, as well, including from one of the best college golfers in history.

However, when it comes to the Player of the Year conversation, there are two who played their way to the top, and they’ve been selected as the Golfweek 2022-23 Players of the Year.

Golfweek selects men’s and women’s All-America teams and honorable mention selections, as well as Players of the Year and Coaches of the Year.

College: Golfweek’s 2022-23 Coaches of the Year

Here’s a look at Golfweek‘s 2022-23 Players of the Year and a look at past winners.

Illinois’ Mike Small, Pepperdine’s Laurie Gibbs win Golfweek’s 2022-23 Coach of the Year honors

Check out Golfweek’s college golf Coaches of the Year.

The 2022-23 college golf season is complete, which means it’s time for postseason awards.

A pair of veteran teams took home the trophies from Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the championships were contested for a third and final time of a three-year deal. In the individual competitions, there were big come-from-behind victories on both sides, as well.

However, when it comes to the Coach of the Year conversation, there are two who stood out among the rest, and they’ve been selected as the Golfweek 2022-23 Coaches of the Year.

Golfweek selects men’s and women’s All-America teams and honorable mention selections, as well as Players of the Year and Coaches of the Year.

Here’s a look at Golfweek‘s 2022-23 Coaches of the Year and a look at past winners.

Georgia senior Jenny Bae named recipient of 2023 Inkster Award, earns LPGA exemption

Bae will receive an exemption into the LPGA’s 2023 Portland Classic.

Georgia senior Jenny Bae has been named the recipient of the 2023 Inkster Award presented by Workday.

The Inkster Award recognizes the highest ranked women’s Division I  collegiate golfer in her final year of eligibility for the 2022-23 college golf season.

Bae, a fifth-year senior, finished the season as the fifth-ranked women’s college golfer in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and fourth in the Golfstat rankings.

As a result of winning the 2023 Inkster Award, Bae will receive an exemption into the 2023 Portland Classic on the LPGA, taking place Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

Additionally, Bae will automatically advance to the second stage of LPGA Q-School from Oct. 16-20 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.

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Bae will also join Juli Inkster, who the award is named after, for a two-day mentorship retreat in Northern California. Workday will provide $50,000 to the Juli Inkster Foundation to help support Bae’s transition to her professional golf career. The $50,000 will support Bae’s mentorship retreat with Inkster and assist with Bae’s travel expenses.

Inkster, a World Golf Hall-of-Fame member and LPGA legend, was a three-time All-American at San Jose State. She elected not to turn professional until finishing her four-year commitment to her school, winning 17 individual titles during her college career.

“Juli Inkster is an inspiration and such a role model on and off the course, her Hall-of-Fame career speaks for itself,” Bae said in a release. “To receive this award from Juli and to have her as my mentor is an honor beyond words.”

Inkster added: “Jenny had a remarkable career at Georgia, persevered through the challenges of the global pandemic to earn her college degree and excelled on the golf course with an amazing senior season,” said Inkster. “That says a lot about not only her performance on the course but also about her goals and passions away from it and putting education as a priority. I look forward to mentoring Jenny as she navigates the next stage in her professional and personal journeys.”

Bae finished 14th last week at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. She had a record-setting 2022-23 season, finishing in the top five an astounding eight times, including victories at the Illini Invitational and the Athens Regional, where she scored the two lowest scores in Georgia history. She compiled a 70.75 season stroke average, the lowest single-season stroke average in Georgia history. She also finished runner-up at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, falling to Rose Zhang on the second playoff hole.

Last weekend, Bae made her professional debut on the Epson Tour, competing in the Nova Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida.

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Ringler: Stanford nearly perfect as Grayhawk chapter closes

Those memories are so much more if you just look a little deeper.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As Wake Forest won its first NCAA Championship Wednesday, the Grayhawk Golf Club chapter of women’s golf closes.

The chapter consisted of four years but only three championships due to the Covid year in 2020.

There was much we already knew about this week-long finale to the season, because we have seen it since 2015 when the women’s championship first went to match play to find a champion.

The championship is long. The teams that play in the final match will have a tee time eight times during the event. Continuing to teach how important endurance is. How important getting quality rest is.

But did we learn anything new?

We learned that Stanford was nearly perfect at Grayhawk.

The Cardinal won the fictional stroke-play national championship in each of the three years here in Scottsdale compiling a head-to-head stroke-play record of 75-0. And let’s remind everyone that individually, Stanford players won the individual title in each of the three championships at Grayhawk. Rachel Heck won the title in 2021, followed by Rose Zhang claiming the last two in 2022 and 2023.

Total domination for three years but with just one team title. We should be talking about dynasty. Instead, with just one title it may just be a side note in future tournament talk.

Walker’s squad was the lone team to play in match play all three years. However, match play put the wrinkle in what was almost perfection in this chapter. The Cardinal went 4-2 winning the title just one time in 2022.

Head coach Anne Walker talked about how difficult Grayhawk can play.

“The course is so penalizing that errant shots immediately added up to big numbers, poor speed on the greens resulted in doubles and undisciplined strategy was costly,” she said. “The course exposed player’s weaknesses and we were pretty fortunate to have five steady players through all three years that helped us be in position to advance to match play.”

It was demanding and Stanford was the best each year in handling those demands, except for those two match play losses – Arizona in 2021 and USC this year.

“I think we performed well (at Grayhawk) over the three years because we had great depth in our lineup,” said Walker.

Walker added: “Grayhawk has been a fantastic host venue. The golf course is demanding and has tested the nerves and patience of the world’s best. It rewards the best golf shots and that has produced three terrific championships.”

Ole Miss won its first national title in 2021 at Grayhawk, with Stanford winning the 2022 event and Wake Forest this year.

“The student-athletes have thoroughly enjoyed being in Scottsdale, getting to know the local community and Grayhawk staff,” said Walker. “We will forever have wonderful memories of our time in Arizona for the championships.”

Those memories are so much more if you just look a little deeper.

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Wake Forest changed its practice, preparation and play style, and in return it won the first NCAA Women’s Golf Championship in school history

It’s the first title for the Wake Forest women’s golf team in program history. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Emilia Migliaccio thought her college golf playing days were over.

She played four years for the Wake Forest women’s team but earned her bachelor’s and had entered a two-year graduate program. She remained around the team and coach Kim Lewellen often.

One day, Migliaccio went to her coach and told her about a dream she had. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Migliaccio still had a year of eligibility she could use. 

That dream? To play college golf again. 

She told Lewellen, who remembers a different version of the story. Migliaccio was a teacher’s assistant, but Lewellen said she knew Migliaccio didn’t love it. She saw a moment of weakness in her player.

“I’ve got a spot for you if you want it.”

Migliaccio accepted. And now, she’s a national champion.

Wake Forest captured its first women’s golf national title in school history Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club, and Migliaccio put the first point on the board against USC. The Demon Deacons won 3-1 and dominated from the first hole. 

“I was craving the feeling to be nervous again on the first tee,” Migliaccio said. “That’s why I play college golf. That’s why I love it. That’s why I’m not turning professional because I realized this is what I love to do.”

Migliaccio, who get married in a month, has a centerpiece for her wedding table, something teammate Rachel Kuehn has planned for some time.

Migliaccio was in the first match off Wednesday afternoon, and she took a 1 up lead after the first hole and never turned back, beating Cindy Kou 4 and 2. 

During Wake Forest’s first tournament this season at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, Lewellen said Migliaccio was like an extra coach on the course. However, she wasn’t the only experienced Demon Deacon on the roster.

There were also seniors Lauren Walsh and Kuehn, who earned the other two points to clinch the championship. Kuehn, in a star-powered matchup against USC’s Amari Avery, won 6 and 4. Walsh captured the title on the 16th green, beating Brianna Navarrosa with a 3-and-2 victory. 

“These three have played at extremely high levels,” Lewellen said. “They’ve played on Curtis Cups, they’ve played on Palmer Cups, they’ve played in (U.S. Women’s) Opens, they’ve played in U.S. Ams. 

“They’ve played at extremely high levels and extreme pressure and turned it into a positive. That’s what made this team so special.”

There was also maturity in the team. Wake Forest has had disappointing finishes the last couple years at Grayhawk. Last year, it didn’t make the 15-team cut after Sunday’s third round of stroke play. In 2019 at Blessings Golf Club, Lewellen and Migliaccio came up short in the championship match.

The Demon Deacons overhauled their schedule. They made an effort to get more familiar with playing desert golf. The elevation and temperature and conditions. They changed how they practiced. They changed their mindset. 

“We tailored our practices not to the next tournament but tailored them to what do we need to do to win the national championship,” Kuehn said. “To come back and get some revenge on this golf course and on the field was really nice.”

USC freshman Catherine Park, who finished runner-up in the individual competition, earned the Trojans’ lone point, a 3 and 1 win against Carolina Lopez-Chacarra.

However, that was the lone shining moment for USC. 

Not only did Migliaccio win her first hole, so did Walsh and Kuehn. By the seventh hole, Walsh was 5 up. At the turn, Kuehn was 3 up. Migliaccio birdied the 14th and 15th holes to take a commanding 3 up lead with three to play.

Migliaccio gave credit after the match to Mimi Rhodes, a junior who was pivotal to Wake forest’s success during the grueling six days in the desert. Rhodes was 2 up with two to play and a birdie putt on the 17th green when Walsh clinched the title on the 16th green. 

“I’m just so proud of her,” Migliaccio said of Rhodes. 

Wake Forest changed its mindset coming into the season. It was championship or bust. The Demon Deacons changed how they prepared, practiced and played. And it paid off. 

“The past two years, everything happens for a reason,” Kuehn said. “And if it took the last two years to get us where we are today, it was all worth it.”

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USC upsets top-seeded Stanford, will face Wake Forest in final at 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship

The title match is set at Grayhawk.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Brianna Navarrosa doesn’t like to give herself ultimatums.

The junior at USC had no choice, though.

Rose Zhang, the top-ranked amateur in the world who Tuesday was named the winner of the 2023 ANNIKA Award, given to the best women’s college golfer, hit her approach shot at the par-3 16th hole at Grayhawk Golf Club inside 3 feet. Navarrosa had yet to hit her tee shot, but she wasn’t fazed.

Her ball landed about 8 feet away. And when she was lining up her putt, she knew its importance.

“I usually don’t say things like you have to make it or you have to get a birdie,” Navarrosa said, “but I knew I had to make a birdie. Standing over that putt, I don’t think I felt more confident than I have in my golf career.”

She buried the putt in the center, and with a 2 up lead with two holes to play, the putt was arguably the most important in the match.

USC knocked off top-seeded Stanford, the defending national champions, 3-2 in the semifinal match to advance to Wednesday’s national championship final against No. 2 Wake Forest. Navarrosa clinched the final point on the 17th green when she and Zhang halved the par-4 hole with pars. Wake Forest, meanwhile, beat Texas A&M 4-1 to advance.

USC coach Justin Silverstein said Navarrosa has struggled with her ball striking for the better part of four months after a strong start to the season. He said the result is a culmination of the hard work in the times the results weren’t quite showing.

“What it takes to beat (Zhang) is a ton of discipline, and you’ve got to run the table on the greens,” Silverstein said. “When we made the picks, I sent them to the team and she looked down at her phone then at me. I nodded and she did back and started eating again.

“She was ready for it.”

Navarrosa won her match, 2 and 1, joining Cindy Kou and Christine Park with victories for the Trojans.

On the other side, it was a battle with the heat for Wake Forest.

Last year, the Demon Deacons were one of the pre-championship favorites and missed the 15-team cut. All season, the message has been to finish and play strong.

And Mimi Rhodes wasn’t going to let anything stop her.

On Monday night, she ended up in the emergency room and had to get an IV for dehydration. During the back nine of her match against Texas A&M, she started to struggle against Bianca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, almost to the point Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen nearly called for a 10-minute medical stoppage.

“She asked me, ‘Are you going to be able to finish this?’ and I said ‘This is what we work for our whole year,'” Rhodes said. “I just had to make it to the 18th hole. (Coach) said to me we only needed one more match.

“Made it really difficult for myself, but I knew I just had to make pars.”

She won on the 18th hole, clinching the match. Emilia Migliaccio, who returned for a sixth year, won her opening match, 2 and 1. Senior Rachel Kuehn clinched hers, 4 and 2.

And Wake Forest is in the championship match, the place it planned to be all year long.

“We were in this position a few years ago. Unfortunately, we didn’t pull it off,” Lewellen said. “This team wants this so bad. We’re going to stick to what we usually do.”

Wake Forest would win its first NCAA title with a victory while USC would pick up its fourth.

Championship match

No. 3 Wake Forest vs. No. 5 USC

  • 4:35 p.m. ET – Emilia Migliaccio vs. Cindy Kou
  • 4:45 p.m. ET – Carolina Lopez-Chacarra vs. Catherine Park
  • 4:55 p.m. ET – Rachel Kuehn vs. Amari Avery
  • 5:05 p.m. ET – Mimi Rhodes vs. Christine Wang
  • 5:15 p.m. ET – Lauren Walsh vs. Brianna Navarrosa

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