Completed Event: Women's Golf at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational on September 29, 2025 , , T-8th of 15
W Golf
at Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational
T-8th of 15
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Coro: Women's golf rolls into key fall
9/11/2017 8:00:00 AM | Women's Golf, Paul Coro
An ordinary Tuesday foretold that Grand Canyon women's golf could do something extraordinary this year.
The Lopes were playing intrasquad qualifying rounds at GCU Golf Course last week when putts and scores dropped across the links.
A casual preseason day became a badge of belief when the Lopes obliterated their best previous course performance. The top five shot 21-under cumulatively on a home course where they never had broken par.
"It was awesome," senior Deanna Salvatori said. "It was nice to see we shoot those scores even if we were just having fun with each other. We're ready to go."
That timing is ideal with the team opening its fall season Monday in Utah with Western Athletic Conference rival New Mexico State also on hand for the two-day Hobble Creek Invitational. While spring seasons define NCAA teams, the five-tournament fall season will get a jump on that for GCU.
"At any other university, I would say the fall is just gearing us up for the spring," Giesecke said. "Since this is our first year that we can be ranked, everything matters. We've got to go hard right out of the gate. I'm not sure a lot of people take us seriously. They won't be really prepared for what we're about to go shoot."
Giesecke has top returners in Salvatori and sophomores Courtney Vogel and Carolina Sandstrom with four strong newcomers, including potential starting freshmen Siripatsorn Patchana of Thailand and Monet Flores of Litchfield Park, Ariz.
When the Lopes could only participate individual at last season's WAC Championship, Salvatori held the individual lead after each of the first two rounds and finished in third place.
"She's taken a huge step this summer with her mental game," Giesecke said of Salvatori, who also is president of GCU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "I think that's what held her back from winning tournaments last year. Her nerves would play a factor or she would get too amped up and that would hurt her swing and ball play. She's our main leader for everything."
As the leader, Salvatori has noticed two team transformations – how the newcomers push the returnees' improvement and how there is more positivity internally.
"I don't think it's too far-fetched for us to win the WAC out of the gate because everyone already has been thinking about it since Day 1," Salvatori said.
The 21-under team effort was led by Sandstrom coming in at 8-under. Vogel also shot 5-under after firing 7-under the previous week. Vogel finished ninth at the WAC Championship as a freshman, not long after her spring campus arrival.
"She changed our program around completely," Giesecke said of Vogel. "Her attitude, her want to get better and her dedication to the sport is something we really haven't seen a lot of here. We see glimpses of it in people."
Patchana has cracked the team's top three as a freshman, bringing extensive tournament experience from Thailand.
"She brings that level of competitiveness, skill, calmness and everything to the table," Giesecke said. "It's amazing to see her swing. She's like a little robot. She'll shoot even-par like it's nothing."
To reach the NCAA postseason in their first season of eligibility, the Lopes would have to finish the spring ranked in the top 55 nationally or win the WAC Championship. Those rankings start formulating in the fall and GCU's rookie active member status will make the goal look like a pin on a long par-five hole.
"Every tournament means something for our rankings," Giesecke said. "After seeing our qualifying scores, I don't think it would be a huge leap."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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The Lopes were playing intrasquad qualifying rounds at GCU Golf Course last week when putts and scores dropped across the links.
A casual preseason day became a badge of belief when the Lopes obliterated their best previous course performance. The top five shot 21-under cumulatively on a home course where they never had broken par.
"It was awesome," senior Deanna Salvatori said. "It was nice to see we shoot those scores even if we were just having fun with each other. We're ready to go."
That timing is ideal with the team opening its fall season Monday in Utah with Western Athletic Conference rival New Mexico State also on hand for the two-day Hobble Creek Invitational. While spring seasons define NCAA teams, the five-tournament fall season will get a jump on that for GCU.
"At any other university, I would say the fall is just gearing us up for the spring," Giesecke said. "Since this is our first year that we can be ranked, everything matters. We've got to go hard right out of the gate. I'm not sure a lot of people take us seriously. They won't be really prepared for what we're about to go shoot."
Giesecke has top returners in Salvatori and sophomores Courtney Vogel and Carolina Sandstrom with four strong newcomers, including potential starting freshmen Siripatsorn Patchana of Thailand and Monet Flores of Litchfield Park, Ariz.
When the Lopes could only participate individual at last season's WAC Championship, Salvatori held the individual lead after each of the first two rounds and finished in third place.
"She's taken a huge step this summer with her mental game," Giesecke said of Salvatori, who also is president of GCU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "I think that's what held her back from winning tournaments last year. Her nerves would play a factor or she would get too amped up and that would hurt her swing and ball play. She's our main leader for everything."
As the leader, Salvatori has noticed two team transformations – how the newcomers push the returnees' improvement and how there is more positivity internally.
"I don't think it's too far-fetched for us to win the WAC out of the gate because everyone already has been thinking about it since Day 1," Salvatori said.
The 21-under team effort was led by Sandstrom coming in at 8-under. Vogel also shot 5-under after firing 7-under the previous week. Vogel finished ninth at the WAC Championship as a freshman, not long after her spring campus arrival.
"She changed our program around completely," Giesecke said of Vogel. "Her attitude, her want to get better and her dedication to the sport is something we really haven't seen a lot of here. We see glimpses of it in people."
Patchana has cracked the team's top three as a freshman, bringing extensive tournament experience from Thailand.
"She brings that level of competitiveness, skill, calmness and everything to the table," Giesecke said. "It's amazing to see her swing. She's like a little robot. She'll shoot even-par like it's nothing."
To reach the NCAA postseason in their first season of eligibility, the Lopes would have to finish the spring ranked in the top 55 nationally or win the WAC Championship. Those rankings start formulating in the fall and GCU's rookie active member status will make the goal look like a pin on a long par-five hole.
"Every tournament means something for our rankings," Giesecke said. "After seeing our qualifying scores, I don't think it would be a huge leap."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Head Coach Brent Nicoson Meets the Team | August 29, 2024
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