Texas A&M women’s golf coach Jeanne Sutherland is no physician, but after last week’s fifth-place finish at the Legends Shootout, she just might have found the cure for what ails the Aggies. The “treatment” calls for heavy doses of senior leadership and continued great play from seniors Anna Jonsson and McKenzie Dyslin.
The Aggies struggled through their first two tournaments of the year. In their first tournament, they finished seventh at the Comcast Invitational. The Aggies followed that up with an 11th-place finish at the Big 12 Invitational.
However, the Aggies did have a bright spot in those early tournaments. Freshman Nicole Melton played outstanding golf, leading the team in scoring and posting two top-20 finishes.
Her success was tempered by the fact that Jonsson and Dyslin did not fare as well, with both finishing out of the top 50 in the Big 12 Invitational.
But in the Legends Shootout, both Dyslin and Jonsson put their struggles behind them. They finished in a tie for 14th place, and no one was happier for them than their coach.
“I was really happy for Anna and McKenzie to have a good tournament,” Sutherland said. “They both struggled at Oklahoma, and they’re both great players. It’s good to see them do well and get their confidence back.”
Jonsson and Dyslin are the most experienced players on the Aggie squad and are also the leading scorers returning from last year’s team. If the Aggies are going to have a successful year, Sutherland knows that her seniors are going to have continue to improve and be consistent.
“We really need Anna and McKenzie to play well,” Sutherland said. “And they know that, too. It’s clear that they’re keys to our lineup, and they want to make it a good year because it’s their senior year. They’re really focused on that.”
While it is obvious that Jonsson and Dyslin are essential to the team’s success, the Aggies will need contributions from others.
In the first three tournaments, much of those contributions have been made by the Aggie’s highly regarded freshman team members. Sutherland has been impressed with the promise that the freshmen have already shown.
“I’ve been impressed with my whole freshmen class,” Sutherland said. “They’re all working hard, and I think they’re going to get a lot better, even before the spring semester.”
The Aggies play this week in the Stanford-Pepsi Intercollegiate Tournament in California. They are hoping to improve on last year’s 15th-finish at the tournament.
“We have four seniors traveling in the lineup, and Nicole, so they know the golf course very well,” Sutherland said. “They like it. Everyone in the lineup other than Nicole has played the course in Stanford, so it should be a real fun tournament for them.”
The Aggies hope that the fun includes bettering their finish from last year. If Jonsson and Dyslin continue to be the “treatment” for the Aggies, this weekend should be a lot of fun.