By Hailey Amato
Staff Writer
This weekend Pepperdine’s women’s golf team tied for second with Washington at the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., only seven strokes behind the host team, the University of New Mexico. This performance moved Pepperdine up two spots in “Golfweek”/Sagarin rankings to No. 10 in the nation.
The Waves shot a final 297 round to cap three days of play on the 54-hole course. They finished with 898 points, shooting 22 over par.
“We stuck together and worked through it,” freshman Courtney Clark said. “We ended up coming from behind.”
The team moved up in placing every day, jumping from seventh to fifth to second.
“After the first day our coach always says, ‘it’s a tournament,’” All-American Katherine Hull said. “There’s still a lot of golf to play the next two days. There are still plenty of holes to play.”
A week off allowed the team to get in some practices and work on weaknesses, senior All-American Lindsey Wright said.
“We’ve been practicing really hard,” Wright said. “It’s kind of intense, but that’s what you have to do to stay competitive.”
Assistant Coach Roger Gunn has been helping the players improve upon their short course game, which was important at the tournament, Head Coach Laurie Gibbs said.
“We hit the ball well,” Gibbs said. “We improved on hitting the green. It’s the kind of course that’s tricky if you haven’t seen it before. The nature of the course is that it is built on a hill and you have to know the ups and downs of the course. That was probably the advantage for New Mexico. We struggled on a couple greens because there were some difficult hole locations.”
A highlight of the weekend was the performance of Hull, who tied for first. She recorded a three under par 70 on the last day of play and a final round score of 211.
“I was really happy with my game,” Hull said. “If last week someone had said I’d shoot a eight-under par, I’d say ‘oh my gosh!’ ”
Hull is now ranked No. 1 in the country by “Golfweek”/Sagarin ratings. She’s the first Pepperdine women’s golfer to accomplish this feat.
“There’s still lots I can improve upon,” Hull said, despite her accomplishment. “That’s golf, you’re always learning from every round.”
“She played great,” Gibbs said of Hull. “ A really solid game, but I’m proud of everyone. Everyone had their own victories and played to their potential.”
Other teammates had strong finishes as well. Senior All-American Lindsey Wright shot a six-over-par 225 in a three-way tie for 14th. Sophomore Rachel Kyono played a even-par 73 to finish in a four-way tie for 18th, and freshmen Courtney Clark finished with 239 in 55th.
“Our scores were really close together,” Wright said. “There was no inconsistency.”
This closeness in scores may be a reflection of the bond teammates have built this season. Naturally, they have become a close-knit group, a factor which affects the team performance.
“The difference this year is that the team dynamics are great,” Hull said. “That makes trips more enjoyable and helps us play better.”
The team practices together five days a week for at least three hours a practice.
“We spend so much time together that it’s a good thing we like each other,” Wright said. “We have so much fun because we are all so different. It adds so much diversity and flavor to the team. We’re from everywhere.”
The difference in personalities also means that individuals can contribute different things to the team, ultimately building the program as a whole.
“Some people on the team go out and practice with such good attitudes,” Wright said. “I get negative, but it really helps me because other people are so positive.”
The Waves have two more meets this fall and high expectations for individual and team performances.
“We need to go out and win tournaments,” Rachel Kyono said. “We know we can do it.”
The team goal is to win the remaining competitions, a goal that Hull can relate to individually.
“I need to keep working hard to win both,” Hull said. “I don’t go to get second or third or 20th. I go to win. I need to play out my game plan.”
Right along side Hull is teammate Wright, who has her own plans for making waves.
“Right now I’m working on a whole bunch of things,” Wright said. “Kathryn is playing so well. She’s No. 1 in the nation. I have someone to compete with, a person to follow. It’s a matter of going out there to win and having the right frame of mind at the right time. I want to finish in the top three.”
The Waves will travel to Washington to compete in the Washington Invitational Oct. 7-9. The course at Tacoma Country Club is a new one for Pepperdine.
In addition, Hull, Wright will represent Australia and fellow Wave Maria Cristina Arenas will represent Guatemala in the World Cup Oct. 10-20. Wright was a participant in 2000, but hasn’t played an international tournament since. The tournament is held in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia.
October 03, 2002