Tag: Golfweek Red Sky Classic

Pepperdine women run away with Golfweek Red Sky Classic, showing early in season that they have an edge

The Waves won their second start of the season by 15 shots.

There’s one thing people notice about Pepperdine’s women’s golfers: They’re exceptional putters.

Head coach Laurie Gibbs had other coaches seek her out to tell her so this week at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic, not that anything like that is lost on Gibbs, a 30-year veteran coaching women’s college golf. There’s no magic formula to success, Gibbs said, but the pieces are coming together for the Waves. After going 18 under for 54 holes at Red Sky Golf Club’s Fazio Course in Wolcott, Colorado, this week, Pepperdine won its second start of the season by 15 shots.

Only UCLA in 2018 has ever gone lower (reaching 32 under) over three rounds at Red Sky, a stunning yet tricky layout nestled into the mountains at more than 8,000 feet. In the tournament’s 12-year history at Red Sky, Pepperdine has now won four times.

“I think it’s going to be a really exciting year,” Gibbs said after this latest victory, which came in the Waves’ second fall start. “I think we have a team that could potentially do some really exciting things.”

Junior Lion Higo won the individual title at Red Sky with her 10-under total. It was a much different story from Higo’s experience here last year. Higo, a junior, kept it in the fairway and got hot with her putter this week. If she missed a long putt, she left herself a tap-in.

“It was just some easy golf out there,” she said.

 

Easy pars is a strategy Gibbs has preached to this squad. Two weeks ago at the USF Intercollegiate at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, the Waves led the field in pars and they repeated that at Red Sky.

“That was something that we’ve really been working on where they’re getting good yardages, really feeling comfortable with clubs into the green and I think they were just really committed to playing smart and really working the dispersion,” Gibbs said. “Even though yeah, they want to be aggressive, they felt like OK, I just want to give myself an easy par. And if they’re two-putting for par on every hole, pars are going to win the day. Sometimes you’re relaxed and you start making birdies.”

2022 Golfweek Red Sky Classic
Pepperdine women’s golf junior Lion Higo celebrates after winning the 2022 Golfweek Red Sky Classic individual title at Red Sky Golf Club’s Fazio Course in Wolcott, Colorado. (Photo: Pepperdine)

In a landscape dominated by Power 5 programs – particularly once postseason hits – Pepperdine has always seemed to find an edge. The Waves were a fixture at the NCAA Women’s Championship in the early 2000s – which included a runner-up finish in 2003 – though their last finals appearance came in 2017. As women’s college golf becomes more competitive, the top players have more choices when it comes to recruiting.

“I thought for us, for our edge, that we need five players in it all the time,” Gibbs said, “and I feel like that’s what we have now.”

Behind Higo, Lauren Gomez finished runner-up individually at 7 under. The next three players finished inside the top 22. Pepperdine’s throw-out score in the final round was a 1-over 73.

Gibbs left two competitive players at home this week and in the spring semester, her roster grows to nine. Jeneath Wong, an Australian ranked inside the top 100 in the world, and Charlotte Brook, an up-and-coming talent form England, will arrive in January. The result will be a loaded roster that breeds competition for a spot in the lineup, and that’s reminiscent of the depth Pepperdine’s men’s program has cultivated these past few years. Pepperdine won the NCAA title in 2021 with a roster of nine men who were exceptionally competitive with one another.

“They really watched how our men prepared and they learned a lot,” Gibbs said of her team having a front-row seat to the men’s 2020-21 championship season. “I think they practice a little bit together. It’s kind of a neat relationship and I think both programs are really very supportive of each other.”

Three days after the Golfweek Red Sky Challenge, Pepperdine’s women have to turn around and get on a flight to New Mexico for the Golf Iconic Classic. The spring season picks up in early February, and Pepperdine will play six regular-season events beginning in early February with the Therese Hession Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes near Los Angeles and running through the WCC Championship in mid-April.

“Lots of players will be able to compete but it’s going to be competitive,” Gibbs said of that tournament lineup. “That really drives the players to make sure their game is ready to go, always be ready to play.

“It will be the positive and the challenge, too.”

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Washington State tees it up in Golfweek Red Sky Classic with a new yet seasoned coach

Sofie Aagaard has a diverse squad with players from the U.S., Australia, Denmark, Thailand and China.

Sofie Aagaard is skilled at making connections – anyone involved with the International team at the 2020 Palmer Cup can tell you that.

It was Aagaard, then at the helm of Cal Poly’s women’s program, who painstakingly contacted family members for each of 24 players on the International squad seeking a personal message for a compilation video. When the video was played during the event, which had been moved back months from its usual summer slot to just a few days before Christmas, there weren’t many dry eyes in the room. The intent, said Aagaard, was to show that “we all have a similar background, in one way or another.”

Later that week, the Internationals won the team competition in a rout.

“I think that Palmer Cup, I get chills just thinking about it,” she said. “We figured out how to connect those players, across gender, across ages, across cultures, nations.”

This is particularly relevant now that Aagaard has just taken up the reins at Washington State, where a diverse squad includes players from the West Coast as well as Australia, Denmark, Thailand and China. Consider Aagaard, coming off seven years at Cal Poly, one of the exceptional new hires of the summer. Barely a month into the fall season, there’s much relationship building going on in Pullman.

Aagaard, however, is quick to point out that there’s still a lot of familiarity among the program. Former coach Kelli Kamimura, a friend of Aagaard’s, remains on campus working for Athletics HR. Her office is one floor above Aagaard’s. Associate head coach Emma White remains and Aagaard has already brought in a sports psychologist who had previously worked with the team.

“I think the transition was easy because of all those factors,” Aagaard said, “…because we speak similar language. I think it was more of a time just to realize we are in this together.”

Golfweek Red Sky Classic: Live scoring

Already, the Cougars are getting business done. Last week they tied for fourth in their season opener, the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin. Three Cougars – Darcy Habgood, Jinyu Wu and Madelyn Gamble – landed inside the top 20 individually. Aagaard spent the week figuring out what is productive for her players on course, what kind of conversations to have with them and where they need support.

“In Madison, I think we had great composure on course, there was very good energy on course,” Aagaard said. “Executing shots from tee to green was really good. Where we lacked a little bit was in our chipping, our short game. That could improve, when we miss the green. But the ballstriking in general was really great. I liked their performance with their long clubs, like the drivers and the 3-woods, being able to go for par 5s.”

Now it’s time to take that ballstriking to elevation. Aagaard’s players had been prepping her for Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colorado, having finished fourth at this event a year ago. They gushed to their new coach about the views that Red Sky would bring.

Aagaard had her players focused on data collection early in the week. She reminded them the ball would fly differently here, at more than 8,000 above sea level. Aagaard, who played professionally after her college career at Cal, competed in Colorado and has competitive experience herself at elevation.

For teams coming from sea level, success at Red Sky requires quite a bit of thought – and math. A year ago, East Tennessee State players picked their numbers, committed to them and took home a one-shot victory over Denver. The Buccaneers return this year for a shot at a title defense.

The Golfweek Red Sky Classic has been played at Red Sky’s Fazio Course every year since 2010, except when the event was canceled in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19. The tournament debuted in 2009 at Primm Valley Golf Club in Las Vegas. Pepperdine has appeared in the field every year, winning the title in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Four other times, the Waves finished with at least a share of second place.

“We love playing Red Sky every Fall,” Pepperdine head coach Laurie Gibbs said. “The tournament is first class on a beautiful course. Golfweek and the staff at Red Sky are wonderful hosts. We enjoy playing teams from around the country in perfect weather.”

This year’s 20-team field features Washington State and Colorado from the Pac-12. The 54-hole event takes place Sept. 26-28 with a single round each day.

Past champions

2009 – Pepperdine
2010 – Virginia
2011 – Oklahoma
2012 – Pepperdine
2013 – Pepperdine
2014 – Pepperdine
2015 – San Diego State
2016 – San Diego State
2017 – Denver
2018 – UCLA
2019 – Ole Miss
2020 – No Tournament
2021 – East Tennessee State

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East Tennessee State turns in gritty performance to win Golfweek Red Sky Classic

East Tennessee State showed its toughness in tough mountain conditions.

East Tennessee State spent the week at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colorado, juggling numbers. Golf at elevation – especially for a team coming from the Volunteer State – requires quite a bit of math.

“Obviously it was an adjustment and then when the winds picked up, it made it even more – you’re shooting the flag, you’re throwing up for the wind, you’re taking off for elevation, you’re adding for slope because it’s not a flat golf course either,” said ETSU head coach Stefanie Shelton.

Under such conditions, it’s important to pick a number and ultimately commit to it, and the Buccaneers were able to do it on their way to winning the Golfweek Red Sky Classic. When a storm passed over the area during Tuesday’s second round, chopping up the day and causing the tournament to be reduced from 54 holes to 36, ETSU players gritted their teeth and kept going. The Bucs had already secured a share of the lead in the first round and wouldn’t let go.

“They come to play,” Shelton said.

Scores: Golfweek Red Sky Classic

ETSU opened its season close to home earlier this month at the Tennessee-hosted Mercedes-Benz Invitational and finished 10th. Shelton said her players expected more from themselves.

Real “college-golf conditions,” as she called the weather at Red Sky, set up an opportunity to test that. Shelton said the whole team tried to relax as conditions worsened.

On the individual leaderboard, Tereza Melecka finished second, Sera Hasegawa tied for third and Hollie Muse tied for sixth. ETSU’s 6-under team total left them one shot ahead of Denver.

“I thought this team was extremely tough this week and really never showed signs of letting up or letting anything bother them,” Shelton said. “Of course it was cold and windy and we all had our gloves on and needing umbrellas and things but yeah, they just accepted it and kept playing. I was very proud of that.”

Last spring, ETSU won the Southern Conference title to earn an Automatic Qualifying spot in the postseason. They were sent to the LSU-hosted NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was controversially canceled. As a result of no golf being played, the top six seeds were selected to advance from the site. ETSU was No. 16.

The turnover from that team was significant as Shelton graduated three players and brought in some new blood for this season. Shelton, however, remembers not only the frustration but the realization that came from being a championship team. Both are motivating for her, and the two returners from that squad.

“The two that came back, being part of a championship team – that does give you the confidence that we are champions and we’re coming everywhere to play and play well and I think the newcomers, they’re stepping into a team that just won a championship and want to play well,” she said.

Two tournaments in, Shelton likes the vibe.

“Really seem to have that tough and go play, do-anything mindset.”

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BYU women, united in purpose after a COVID year, go for third consecutive win at Golfweek Red Sky Classic

Familiarity has allowed BYU to become closer and closer as a team, particularly this season.

For the better part of two years, BYU head coach Carrie Roberts has had a window into the kind of success her team has enjoyed publicly this past month. At times, it was that knowledge, which inspired a deep belief in her team, that kept her going through a start-and-stop and often unpredictable season.

“Very difficult time,” Roberts said in describing the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to college athletics and to life in general, “and the teams that could stick together during those times, I think you’re going to see thrive this year.”

BYU is a living example, having won its first two starts of the fall season and then putting itself in position to win a third on Wednesday at the Golfweek Red Sky Challenge.

Nearly two years have passed since there was any normalcy in college golf. When the 2019-20 season ended abruptly at the start of the pandemic, BYU had finished fourth or better in six of eight starts and was ranked No. 66 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings.

Scores: Golfweek Red Sky Classic

“We were a pretty good team before the break,” Roberts said. “The exact same team came back and different situations in different states, you weren’t allowed to play golf, you didn’t have tournaments. So just maybe some motivation was waning. . . . They came back and weren’t ready to play – we competed but weren’t ready to compete.”

Familiarity has allowed BYU to become closer and closer as a team, particularly this season. Roberts calls it an evolvement of culture over time.

“You have to evolve as a team – this team has evolved and has gone through a lot of downs and realized they didn’t like that.”

Playing in their first tournament of the season, the Dick McGuire Invitational, the Cougars went 8 under for 54 holes and overtook San Jose State for a six-shot victory.

Six days later, BYU teed it up across the country at the Tennessee-hosted Mercedes-Benz Invitational. Roberts’ team edged Miami by three shots to start its season 2-and-2 – the first time since the fall of 2016 that BYU has won consecutive tournaments.

Now, back in the mountains at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colorado, BYU has put itself in contention for a third win.

“We’re at 4,300 feet (at home) in Provo – it wasn’t a big adjustment, maybe half a club to a club,” Roberts said of the elevation.

BYU trailed Northern Arizona and East Tennessee State by two shots after the first round. When weather moved through Red Sky in the second round, it chopped up the day enough that the tournament was shortened from 54 holes to 36. BYU had a handful of holes to play Wednesday, but the topic of a third win was very much on the table.

That speaks to an openness in the team room.

“We talk about it all the time, you just have to roll with things,” Roberts said. “Just go with the flow and be ready when it comes. They were prepared.”

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Golfweek Red Sky Classic: Northern Arizona right at home at altitude in Colorado mountains

Even as the winds picked up in Vail, Colorado, Northern Arizona didn’t give up a bit of ground.

VAIL, Colo. — Even as the winds picked up across Red Sky Golf Club’s Fazio Course Monday, Northern Arizona didn’t give up a bit of ground.

Altitude is nothing new for the women from Flagstaff, Arizona, though this kind of mountainous landscape is a bit more extreme.

“If you would have told me we were tied for the lead after one round, I would be thrilled,” Northern Arizona head coach Brad Bedortha said. “Nice to see our team go out and compete.”

NAU played the opening round at Red Sky in 9 under to take an immediate share of the lead at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic. That was thanks in large part to a back-nine 31 from Eliska Kocourkova, who started on No. 10 with a bogey then fired off four birdies in a row before making a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th, a picturesque short hole with a huge elevation drop.

“Definitely exceeded our expectations for today,” said Bedortha. “We got off to a great start. The girls were making birdies right out the gate.”

East Tennessee State is also at 9 under and with star performances of their own. Sara Hasegawa eagled the par-5 18th, her ninth hole of the day, for an opening 70 to go along with rounds of 67 from Tereza Melecka and 69 from Hollie Muse.

“The Fazio Course at Red Sky is an amazing course and it was fun watching the ladies attack it today,” head coach Stefanie Shelton said. “It can be a tricky setup with some of the pin positions, so the next two days will be a challenge I’m sure.”

Both teams lead Brigham Young University, which was the on-paper favorite entering the tournament after back-to-back victories in its first two fall starts at the Dick McGuire Invitational and the Mercedes Benz Collegiate. Two “local” teams fared well on the first day, as well. Denver and Colorado are both part of a tie for fourth, along with Central Arkansas, at 5 under.

Denver’s Anna Zanusso, who competed at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April, is the defending champion but opened with 1-over 73. Teammate Anna Cathrine Krekling fired a 6-under 66 good for a share of the individual lead with BYU’s Kerstin Fotu.

The event at Red Sky is in its 12th playing after not being played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The traditional conference challenge aspect changed this year to feature a wider field. Interestingly, the defending Division II national champion Dallas Baptist is in the Division I field this week and in a share of the 13th after a 5-over 293 to open the week.

Past winners

2020 – No event
2019 – Ole Miss, 15-under 849
2018 – UCLA, 32-under 832
2017 – Denver, 8-over 872
2016 – San Diego State, 2-over 866
2015 – San Diego State, 6-under 858
2014 – Pepperdine, 2-under 862
2013 – Pepperdine, 5-over 869
2012 – Pepperdine, 4-under 860
2011 – Oklahoma, 35-over 899
2010 – Virginia, 13-over 877
2009 – Pepperdine, 17-over 881
Individual
2020 – No event
2019 – Anna Zanusso, Denver (11-under 205)
2018 – Mariel Galdiano, UCLA (13-under 203)
2017 – Haley Moore, Arizona (7-under 209)
2016 – Marlene Krolboll Hansen, Coastal Carolina (9-under 207)
2015 – Emma Henrikson, San Diego State (10-under 206)
2014 – Marissa Chow, Pepperdine (6-under 210)
2013 – Grace Na, Pepperdine (6-under 210)
2012 – Demi Runas, UC Davis (7-under 209)
2011 – Chirapat Jao-Javanil, Oklahoma (1-over 217)
2010 – Brittany Altomare, Virginia (4-under 212)
2009 – Caroline Hedwall, Oklahoma State (9-under 207)