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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Coro: 'Play through May' takes aim
9/13/2019 10:35:00 AM | Women's Golf, Paul Coro
Women's golf boasts best potential team yet
The Grand Canyon women's golf team is brimming with credentials.
The Lopes have a WAC champion and a WAC runner-up. They have the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year and a Summit League Freshman of the Year. They boast a U.S. Women's Amateur qualifier and a junior college All-American.
That bodes well for GCU's potential energy.
But the drive of wanting to "Play through May," the team wristband mantra, with the competitiveness of the deepest Lopes roster ever is creating the kinetic energy that can move GCU where it wants to go. That starts this weekend at the USA Intercollegiate in Mobile, Alabama, with a lineup that reached an NCAA regional in 2018 but will be tested internally each week with impact newcomers.
During the team's six qualifying rounds at various Phoenix-area courses, Lopes players carded 17 rounds of under-par or even-par golf with seven players posting a scoring average that was better than last season's top individual average.
"It's been so fun," GCU head coach Lauren Giesecke said. "It's unbelievable. It's really cool because we've never had that type of scoring before in qualifying rounds. They see how deep we are and how each day they have to bring their best because somebody else is bringing their best."
If GCU had nothing but the returning five that forms its opening lineup, the Lopes would still be a postseason threat after losing a final-round lead at last season's WAC Championship.
- Junior Siripatsorn Patchana has posted a 74.65 scoring average over her first two seasons, including WAC Championship medalist honors as a freshman.
- Senior Carolina Sandstrom was the 2019 WAC Championship runner-up, played in PGA Q School this summer and posted a team-best qualifying scoring average of 70.8Â with rounds of 64 and 67.
- Sophomore Patyon Fehringer emerged in the spring to win 2019 WAC Freshman of the Year and overhauled her game in the summer to average 71.8 in qualifying.
- Junior Alexis Linam qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship this summer after posting a round of 65 last season that was one stroke off the NCAA season low.
- Senior Courtney Vogel has improved her scoring average each season and won a tournament in Oregon last fall.
"I feel like this year is the best team we've ever had," Sandstrom said. "We work so hard for it. But knowing we can do it is really good to have in the back of our heads."
That returning quintet is being pushed by the quality of the roster additions – sophomore Madison Voisard from Mesa Community College, junior Alexis Jones from Oakland University and freshmen Reyna Hernandez of nearby Gilbert and Carmen Belmonte of Spain.
"Honestly, it's going to be tough," Giesecke said. "I see any one of the newcomers being an impact on the team. All four already have made a huge impact just in practice and qualifying. That's 10 times better than what we could get at a tournament. Practice is serious. Qualifying is serious. The competition has been raised."
The "Play through May" goal speaks to qualifying for a NCAA regional, like the 2017-18 team did. That one earned an automatic bid with the WAC Championship title but this team is aiming to earn it during the regular season. The Lopes can qualify with their computer ranking from five fall and five spring regular-season tournaments. After automatic conference title bids, those berths usually go to the top 60 to 63 teams in Golfstat rankings.
"We have so much potential that we could really do it," Patchana said. "We want to prepare for each tournament better than last year, going in with more confidence and prepared so that we're not afraid of the course or anyone we play.
"Each of us knows exactly what we have to do to improve as a player and improve us as a team."
Last season's team needed Sandstrom to fill a leadership void. With a full returning lineup opening the season in Alabama, that role is shared by a mature group.
"Now I'm not the only one screaming," Sandstrom said. "Everyone is so much more supportive. I'm not trying to be the mom as much. Everyone is stepping up and being a leader. That's a big thing for why I feel like we're going to be better."
Players Mentioned
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Head Coach Brent Nicoson Meets the Team | August 29, 2024
Friday, February 07