The Fall season came to a close for our team at the 2010 MAC Preview last week. It was another great tournament for us and it was especially memorable for junior Hanna Ek who won her first ever collegiate individual title!
I have so many thoughts on this tournament on a professional and personal level...
First of all, it was great for us to go down to Longaberger and do a "dry run" of the MAC W. Golf Championship that we will host in April 2011. I didn't think the MAC Preview went very smoothly as it could have. The first round, the tees were not set to the ones that we played during the practice round. There were significant differences on certain holes, but for the most part it made the course set up shorter and a little easier. I was certainly embarrassed throughout the day and angry at myself for not making sure this was taken care of from the start! The next day the tees were put back in the correct positions, but I do think this mistake will be a helpful thing in the long run. I did a hole-by-hole comparison over the different yardages and found some interesting statistics and it will lead to changes that will make the Championship more enjoyable, yet still competitive when April rolls around.
The team and I all laughed at the tee mistake. They had a great attitude about it honestly. The quote I kept hearing from them was, "Well...everyone had to play the same golf course!". I think their positivity was great for me as well as their golf games! It really showed in our score during the first round. We came out with a great round on a tough course and put ourselves in position to win the event! Hanna Ek came out of the gate quick with the only under par round shot in the whole tournament!
She played simple golf...hitting fairways, greens, draining putts and of course, starting the day birdie, birdie, birdie always helps! In the end, it gave her a 3 shot lead over some of the best players in our conference! I know she was super nervous the second day. She had the opposite start the 2nd round...bogeying her first three holes. And despite that tough start she finished strong and came away with the win! Hanna is one of those people that has her own way of doing things. She works very hard on certain aspects of her game and she also works hard with her academics. The girl can win a college event AND have a 3.9 GPA in Mechanical Engineering...quite an accomplishment I must say!
Kristen Hill also played very consistent both days shooting two 76s. She gave her own teammate a run for the title, but no one was happier for Hanna than Kristen herself! It was a proud moment for me to see Kristen and the rest of the team congratulating Hanna :).
So, with the stellar play of Hanna and Kristen, the team finished 2nd. We made a run at Western Michigan who has had a tremendous Fall season. We beat three teams that were ranked better than us going into the event...that helps our head-to-head ranking and our confidence for Spring. Ending on a positive note will be helpful for us heading into the off-season.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
A Victory that Made History!
We knew going into the Zippy Invite that we would be the favorite to win it all. Sometimes that brings more pressure with it than you think!
Our home course, Rosemont C. C. is so challenging. We play and practice there everyday. Our qualifying scores at Rosemont the past three years have been on the average about 4 strokes higher than our tournament scores in the various events that we have played in. So, we know how much tougher our home course is and we know how much focus it takes to play well there.
I thought we came out of the gate well during the first and second rounds. Our consistent play gave us a big lead going into the final round. I was proud of how well we played the tough holes during the 36 hole day and that is definitely what set us apart from the rest of the field. We were so happy with the big lead, but we all knew in the back of our minds that anything could happen at Rosemont C. C.! It was important to go into the final round thinking about only playing the golf course and not the people in the group. Sometimes getting into the match play mentality hurts more than it helps. We didn't finish well down the stretch, but it was still enough to win. I've always said it doesn't matter if you win by 1 or 100...a win is a win!
I'm especially happy for the team. They deserved the chance to WIN! We came in second so many times and although those were big accomplishments for our program at the time, the team's new mantra became "Second Sucks!". They work very hard on and off the golf course. Being the new kids on the block in the MAC has made them work hard to earn the respect of other teams that have established programs and it has also given them motivation that they have something to prove to the other MAC teams. I know they have to be so excited to see their hard work pay off!!
The steady overall individual play of Kristen Hill (individual runner-up) and Amanda Butler (t-9, her best collegiate finish), helped lead the team to victory! Katie Jenior, Sara Chaves, and Hanna Ek were also on the winning squad and contributed in a great way...it was truly a team effort!!
I'm glad we notched our first every program victory at our home event. It is great defending our home turf and keeping the Zippy Invite in AKRON!!!
GO ZIPS!!!
Our home course, Rosemont C. C. is so challenging. We play and practice there everyday. Our qualifying scores at Rosemont the past three years have been on the average about 4 strokes higher than our tournament scores in the various events that we have played in. So, we know how much tougher our home course is and we know how much focus it takes to play well there.
I thought we came out of the gate well during the first and second rounds. Our consistent play gave us a big lead going into the final round. I was proud of how well we played the tough holes during the 36 hole day and that is definitely what set us apart from the rest of the field. We were so happy with the big lead, but we all knew in the back of our minds that anything could happen at Rosemont C. C.! It was important to go into the final round thinking about only playing the golf course and not the people in the group. Sometimes getting into the match play mentality hurts more than it helps. We didn't finish well down the stretch, but it was still enough to win. I've always said it doesn't matter if you win by 1 or 100...a win is a win!
I'm especially happy for the team. They deserved the chance to WIN! We came in second so many times and although those were big accomplishments for our program at the time, the team's new mantra became "Second Sucks!". They work very hard on and off the golf course. Being the new kids on the block in the MAC has made them work hard to earn the respect of other teams that have established programs and it has also given them motivation that they have something to prove to the other MAC teams. I know they have to be so excited to see their hard work pay off!!
The steady overall individual play of Kristen Hill (individual runner-up) and Amanda Butler (t-9, her best collegiate finish), helped lead the team to victory! Katie Jenior, Sara Chaves, and Hanna Ek were also on the winning squad and contributed in a great way...it was truly a team effort!!
I'm glad we notched our first every program victory at our home event. It is great defending our home turf and keeping the Zippy Invite in AKRON!!!
GO ZIPS!!!
Friday, October 8, 2010
3rd Annual Zippy Invite
The 3rd Annual Zippy Invite is right around the corner! Come out and support your Akron Women's Golf team!!
Where:
Rosemont Country Club, Fairlawn, OH
http://www.rosemontcountryclub.com/
When:
Monday, October 11th: 9:30am Shotgun Start (36 holes)
Tuesday, October 12th: 9:30am Shotgun Start (18 holes)
Teams:
AKRON, Cleveland State, Ohio, Bowling Green, Detroit-Mercy, Oakland, Marshall,
Eastern Kentucky, Grand Valley (defending champions), California University of PA, Allegheny College, and Bucknell
The golf course is in phenomenal shape right now and we are looking forward to using our home course knowledge to our advantage. All week we have been working very hard on our short games and all shots from 100 yards and in. Excellent course management will be key to victory and with the experience that we have in our line-up we will have a head start on the field.
We are still looking for our first victory in program history and we are very excited about our chances to achieve this accomplishment at home!
GO ZIPS!!!
Where:
Rosemont Country Club, Fairlawn, OH
http://www.rosemontcountryclub.com/
When:
Monday, October 11th: 9:30am Shotgun Start (36 holes)
Tuesday, October 12th: 9:30am Shotgun Start (18 holes)
Teams:
AKRON, Cleveland State, Ohio, Bowling Green, Detroit-Mercy, Oakland, Marshall,
Eastern Kentucky, Grand Valley (defending champions), California University of PA, Allegheny College, and Bucknell
The golf course is in phenomenal shape right now and we are looking forward to using our home course knowledge to our advantage. All week we have been working very hard on our short games and all shots from 100 yards and in. Excellent course management will be key to victory and with the experience that we have in our line-up we will have a head start on the field.
We are still looking for our first victory in program history and we are very excited about our chances to achieve this accomplishment at home!
GO ZIPS!!!
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