Nov. 8, 2002

The USF Women's Golf team ended the fall season on a very successful note at the Hawaii tournament, shooting a new program single round low of 288 in the last round and finishing 5th. Coach Sara Range gave us her impression on the fall season.

"Overall the season went well. We did not place as high as I was expecting, but our scoring average (303) is lower than at the end of last year (304). The team showed that they could shoot low. Now we need to improve on being more consistent. I am glad all of them traveled and played at least once. Since they are only seven players, I did not want someone to be left out.

The last round of Hawaii gives us such a momentum going into the spring season. It was confidence booster for them, because they know they can shoot low. It was also very rewarding for me to see that the hard work paid off.

The three seniors, Susie Laing, Lyndsey Devenish and Lisa Chen have shown strength and determination to overcome pressure of being seniors. It is always tough for athletes to play their last year in college, wondering what will happen next. But the three of them handled the pressure very well.

Preparation for the spring

While the season is over, the Lady Dons are preparing for the spring. Over the fall, the team worked a lot on chipping drills during practice. "We will continue to work on these drills because it helped the girls tremendously to gain confidence in their short game," said Coach Sara Range.

I also want the team to work on playing under pressure. They need to be in situations where they face pressure and they have to handle it. It is important for them to be strong, not only on the course but also in the weigh room. They need to push everyone further," said Coach Sara Range.

Before the spring season starts in February, the USF Women's golf team will go on a retreat in Carmel. "It will be a way for them to bond together before starting a busy golf season," said Coach Sara Range.

Objectives

Coach Sara Range shared with us her objectives for the spring. "Winning the West Coast Conference is one of our objectives. We won two years ago and know we can do it. This would be a confident booster to go to Regionals. I also want the team to be more consistent and have 4 scores in the low 70s every round. The team needs to lower its worst scores.

Quick Facts on the USF Women's Fall Season

The Lady Dons finished three times in the top 10 and once in the top 5.

Senior Susie Laing finished tied for 7 at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, Oregon.

Senior Lyndsey Devenish was USF's best finisher and tied for 11th at the Kent Youel Invitational, Hawaii.

Sophomore Mariko Shimozaki finished tied for 16th at the Kent Youel Invitational, Hawaii and tied for 17 Ptarmingan Ram Fall Classic, Colorado.

Mariko Shimozaki had the lowest score for USF with 69 at the Kent Youel Invitational.

Susie Laing has the team's lowest scoring average with 74.92, followed by Mariko Shimozaki, 76.17.

Players' quotes

Lyndsey Devenish: "I feel I was quite consistent this fall, even though I played only three tournaments. I am very happy about my scores in Hawaii. Since I started playing with a new set of clubs, I am hitting the ball better and further. I gained some confidence and consistency in my long game. I also think that the work we did on short game has paid off. Over the fall, we practiced chipping drills which were very helpful to improve my scores."

Mariko Shimozaki: "I'm really happy about the way we ended the fall season... it felt really good to shoot 288, because I know (and I'm sure everyone else on the team knows) that we can shoot 288 again. Now that we proved it to ourselves, we will all have more confidence individually and in each other.

Like everyone else, I had my good and bad times. I definitely learned a lot this fall season, about my swing, my mental game, and everything about golf in general. I felt better and better about my game as the season progressed, hopefully this will carry onto the spring season.

Individually I want to perform consistently well throughout the season. My goal for the team is to go to nationals."

Susie Laing: "We struggled a little in the beginning but we finished on an excellent note, which gave a good amount of confidence for the spring. I think we need to work on getting more consistent and also commit ourselves 100% to the team on and off the course. My objectives for the spring are to have three rounds under 75, and like the rest of the team, to go to Nationals. I need to work on my concentration and prepare myself better for the tournaments."