At the only PGA course that Texas has to offer at the moment, the TPC San Antonio, the Texas A&M women’s golf team began play in its regional tournament on Monday, May 8. While the state experienced muggy weather, the heat was turned up on the course by great play by the golfers.
The Aggies came into the tournament as the top seed, having just come off an SEC Championship. They teed off at 8 a.m. on Monday morning, starting the 6,420-yard course that would prove to be one of the more difficult regional courses.
The first day was highlighted by great individual performances. Graduate Hailee Cooper finished even on the par 72 course, aided by birdies on four separate holes to lead the team. She was tied for fifth-best in the tournament at the end of her round.
Furthermore, sophomore Adela Cernousek also had an excellent day, finishing tied for 11th with a +1 score. It was performances like this that put the Aggies at the top of the leaderboard after the first round, tied with the Oklahoma State Cowgirls at +7.
In the second round, the Aggies shot their best round of the whole tournament, overcoming rain throughout the day as well as an hour-long lightning delay. By the end of Day 2, the Aggies would have a four-stroke lead over the second place team, the SMU Mustangs.
The Aggies were electric on the day, or about as electric as one can be on a golf course. The team finished the round at -2, led by senior Jennie Park. Park opened the day with a birdie, and the excellent play would continue from there. She finished 2-under par herself, improving her individual placement to tie for seventh place.
Senior Blanca Fernández García-Poggio finished a stroke under par, having her best round of the tournament. With her tying for 12th alongside Cernousek, the Aggies had four of their five golfers within the top 15 individual scores in the tournament.
“This group has the mentality of that they don’t want to just advance, they want to win,” coach Gerrod Chadwell said to 12thMan.com. “That speaks to the finish that we had, which was one of the most impressive finishes I have ever seen. The rain, how difficult the course was and the stage made it unreal to be a part of.”
With just one round to play, the Aggies sat 13 strokes above the fifth place team, with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championships. Despite the hopes of finishing first in the regional tournament, the Aggies had their worst day of the tournament and would finish the day with a +11 score. This would move them from first to third place, tied once again with Oklahoma State.
The teams that passed the Aggies, Pepperdine and SMU, both had phenomenal days themselves. The Waves finished at a staggering -6, the best of any team during the whole tournament. The Mustangs, who had been just four strokes behind the Aggies at the end of day 2, shot even on the day.
Wednesday saw the first action of sophomore Lana Calibuso-Kwee, who scored a respectable +3 in her one round of play. She, as well as the rest of the team, had done well enough to secure their top-five finish, meaning the Aggies will be attending the National Final in Scottsdale, Arizona.
This marks the second-consecutive year that the Aggies will be attending the National Final. Play will start at the Grayhawk Golf Course on Friday, May 19, and will continue until May 24. The Aggies have a chance to finish as both SEC and National Champions in 2023.