What a finale this has been! I have taken a few days to let this past weekend and final tournament for the 2023 season sink in. It has been a roller coaster of emotions leading into, during and now finally coming down from at the end of our season. I have enjoyed this team throughout the year. It was difficult saying good-bye, especially to the seniors that will be moving on to their next adventure. We have worked through the ups and downs, experienced the highs and lows, while all along the way managed to find the humor. Laughter was not absent from our time together, in fact, it was a staple. We took care of each other and paid attention to the things that mattered most. The players have now left for their summer homes and others to their next chapters! In this past month we overcame challenges, learned life lessons, and grew up in many ways. As their coach, I cannot be prouder of how they handled themselves and took advantage of the opportunities that were presented. As most self-help books out there will say, it is not the adversity that comes your way that matters, but in how you react to the adversity that makes the biggest difference.
After coming off a solid performance at the Lady Buckeye in mid-April we went on to the Big Ten Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. We had impressively climbed the leaderboard in round two, still holding our own at the start of round three and then had a poor performance coming down the stretch in our final nine holes, leaving us toward the bottom of the field. A disappointing end to what truly was a respectable season. The possibilities of heading to the NCAA Regionals looked bleak, with the exception of one of our standout players Mathilde Delavallade. Mathilde did secure an individual bid, leaving the team behind and sad to think that the additional three seniors on the team would have Big Tens as their last memory of college golf.
It was the very next day that they received an invitation to the inaugural National Golf Invitational. A tournament sponsored by Golfweek and open by invitation only to the next fifteen schools that missed the cut to the NCAA Regionals, much like the collegiate basketball NIT tournament. What an opportunity to "Play in May" as they say and compete for the championship! First, there were some "hoops" the team would have to jump through. Getting through finals week, graduation ceremonies and figuring out how to logistically get them where they needed to be since I was committed to be with Mathilde. We left four days prior and had to leave the team on their own to prepare for the NGI Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. The good news is the "foundation" was set all year on preparing for competition. How to lay out our game plan, practice the shots necessary for the course we were about to play, and keep our minds and bodies sharp leading up to the event, so we could handle the desert course challenges.
After my week in Georgia with Mathilde, we boarded a plane for Phoenix to meet the team and play our practice round the very next day. It was not until the final moment that we were told by the NCAA that Mathilde would not be eligible to participate since she already had played in the NCAA Regional. Knowing this could happen, we prepared to bring an additional player who was no stranger to our line-up since we traveled with six players all spring. Michelle Cox was in! If you are a movie "buff" think movies like "Rudy" or Greatest Game Ever Played or any "under dog" story that rises to the occasion on a big stage.
Michelle Cox stepped in and stepped up! She led the entire field after day one with a round as hot as the desert sun, 5-under, 67! Most would think that was the biggest win of the weekend, however as a coach and having seen these situations with players many times over, it is harder to follow a low round with another decent round let alone another round in red numbers! She did just that! This did not come "magically" she was aware of what she needed to do and worked hard to get her mind in a good space to focus on a totally new day.
After the second round of competition Michelle was leading the tournament at 6-under par. With Iowa and several California teams on our heels, it would take the consistent play of our senior leaders Isha Dhruva and Sarah Willis to keep the Nittany Lions in the hunt for the championship! Enter the final day and the team stepped up. Steady play from Drew Nienhaus and Taylor Waller helped get the team started out of the gate and the strength of play that continued from Sarah, Isha and Michelle down the stretch was impressive. With just five holes left to play, Iowa closed the gap to only two shots! Yikes! It did not take long for the Nittany Lions to answer with birdies from Drew and Isha and an eagle from Michelle along with the steady shoulders of Sarah Willis and the Nittany Lions found themselves in a comfortable 12-shot lead!
Yes, I will admit I had to use my own advice I often give to my players, breath and stick to your plan! Throughout the day I had to stop myself from getting too far ahead, take in where I was, who I was with at the time and pay attention only to what was in front of me. The final putt was made, and the Nittany Lions had clinched the championship! All that they had done to prepare for this moment had come to fruition. How rewarding it is to see your players "become" all that you promised and hoped they would experience when they began their journey. It is the consistent practice, the willingness to never give in, and the belief in your ability to make it happen. Sarah told me after the tournament that she "knew" going into the final day that we were going to win. Not only did she know, but she also lived out her belief!
This is a memory they will now have for the rest of their lives. The winners of the inaugural National Golf Championship will forever be Penn State!
