The Wildcats notched the program’s second Western Athletic Conference runner-up in as many years since the program was founded, as the team shot 15-over-par and ended the tournament with 879 strokes.
The second-place finish was not the peak for the Wildcats as they grabbed the tournament lead on hole five of the final day. However, a slow start and a couple of high scores late cost the team the lead and landed them in second place.
“It was an interesting week,” Head Coach Rob Bennett said. “We got off to a pretty slow start on the first day. I don’t know if it was the nerves or really what it was at all. It was just really mediocre golf from a score perspective.”
The team combined for a 7-over 304 on day one, which left them with ground to make up moving into rounds two and three.
“We talked to them after the first round and said, ‘Hey, we need you guys to respond tomorrow,’” Bennett said.
The Wildcats did exactly that and came “roaring back,” Bennett said as the team shot 6-under in the second round to put their team back into the mix for the top spot. They ended day two of the tournament in second place and “had a chance to go win,” Bennett said.
Key pieces to the Wildcats’ success were two top-10 finishes from Ryann Honea, junior from San Angelo, and Marissa Loya, freshman from San Antonio. Honea finished in second place individually, while Loya finished sixth for her first career top-10 finish.
“I hit the ball really well,” Honea said. “I putted great and I think my scrambling rate was above 65% for all three rounds, which is really good.”
Honea also attributed her success to her ability to minimize mistakes and bounce back when she missed the green or had a bad shot. Despite her high finish and ability to scramble, Honea also felt the slow start, finishing round one 3-over-par.
“The first day was rocky,” Honea said. “I think there was just a lot of anxiousness and nerves going in, but we settled in towards the second and third rounds.”
Loya finished the tournament in sixth place at 3-over-par while leading the field with 41 pars and a personal best 2-under 70 in the third round of the tournament. Despite her first top-10 finish, Loya was quick to praise Bennett and the Christ-based atmosphere among the team.
“On the course, I can just play freely and just reflect on the golf course what I do in practice because my identity is in Christ,” Loya said. “My victory is in him. Going into the tournament, I knew I had been working really hard for the last few months. I was just confident in my game.”
The Wildcats held the tournament lead through the middle portion of day three but would eventually lose the lead to Tarleton State University late, as the Wildcats shot an even back nine to end the tournament. The Texans, who held the lead to begin day three, shot four strokes worse than the Wildcats in the final round but finished in first place with a three-stroke lead.
“Golf is hard,” Bennett said. “You can be playing great, and then something comes out of nowhere. We had a few of those big numbers, and it hurt.”
Despite losing the lead and ending in second place, the Wildcats have accomplished something nobody expected: two conference runner-ups in two years as a program, something that Bennett is still proud of.
“I’m really proud of the girls for fighting back,” Bennett said. “They could have given up. I think some teams do that sometimes, but our girls did a good job of not giving up and continuing to battle. It just didn’t work out in the end.”
While the Wildcats missed out on qualifying for NCAA Regionals by winning the WAC, Honea will continue on to NCAA Regionals individually.
“I just need to continue my ball striking and the things I’m doing,” Honea said. “Regionals will play longer, so I just need to make sure my scrambling rate is on because I know I’m going to miss greens.”
Honea will play in the NCAA Regional tournament at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, hosted by Texas Tech. The May 5-7 tournament will be Honea’s second opportunity in as many years to qualify for the NCAA Championship.
