The Mizzou Women's Golf is back in action after only two weeks of being back in Columbia, as the team begins the fall season at the Chip-N Club Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. on Monday (Sept. 8). After concluding the 2013-14 season tied for the 10th overall at the SEC Championships in April, the Tigers are excited to open a new chapter.
Hosted by Nebraska, the two-day tournament will take place a Wilderness Ridge Golf Course, a 6,252-yard, Par 72 course. In addition to the Cornhusk ers, Mizzou will face a field of eight other teams including Bellevue University, Creighton, Missouri State, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota State, Ohio State, South Dakota State and Wichita State.
Mizzou will be returning four of its top five golfers for the season and head coach Stephanie Priesmeyer sees potential for a strong season.
"It is a totally different team and these girls seem to be really close," Priesmeyer said. "We haven't set many outcome goals and just tried to focus on the process."
Priesmeyer describes the process this season as focusing on the little things such as the short game; putting and watching other little details will save strokes in the long run. The 2014-15 team has bought into the process, and after three years in the program senior Alina Rogers can definitely see the progress her team has made.
"Coop (Coach Priesmeyer) and Mindy (Coyle) do a great job of coaching us and giving us a lot of drills to improve our game. They always provide us with feedback so we can get better," Rogers said.
Along with the return of Rogers, sophomore Jessica Meek, who finished last season tied for 10th individually at the SEC Championhips, will also lead the Tigers. The sophomore is looking to build off of last season's strong finish.
"Over the summer, I worked on skills like putting and my short-game," Meek said. "With my long-game, I feel I am in a really good place with that. It is going to be a good year."
The one outcome-based goal that the team has set its sights on is making it to an NCAA Regional and advancing to the NCAA Championships. Rogers has never been part of a regional-qualifying team, and that is what the team will be striving for this season.
"It is one of our biggest goals, to make it to regionals, and then on to nationals," said the senior.
The team sees the goal of a regional closer than last year with the addition of the Walsworth Family Golf Center at The Club at Old Hawthorne. The Walsworth Family Golf Center is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that gives the team access to facilities in the winter, and also a place for the team to call their own.
"Technology is probably the number one thing. We have the ability to read 24 different aspects of the putting stroke and give the players instant feedback," said Priesmeyer of the new facility, "We didn't have any shelter and we would have to go to the clubhouse for drinks and restaurant facilities. Just having the facility and being able to call it their own; being able to put their clubs in their lockers, it has been great."
Now, the first meet is upon the team and after only two weeks of practice, the Tigers are ready for the Chip-N Club Invitational. They have bought into the foundational beliefs that one can find on a dry erase board in Coach Priesmeyer's office. Compiled by the team, the goals include: always giving a full effort, being grateful and their hashtag of the season, #StrongerTogether. Meek believes the team chemistry will have a major impact on the season for the Tigers
"We have a really good team. Everyone is out to have a good time," Meek said "We are all the same and out to have a good laugh. There a lot of jokers on the team, so it is a lot of fun."
Foundational beliefs, a new facility and team chemistry are all going to contribute to a successful season for the Mizzou Women's Golf Team. Coach Priesmeyer can see the potential of the group and is looking forward to what the season holds.
"The sky is the limit for this group," said Priesmeyer, "It just has a special feeling in the air and I don't know what it is, but you can see that they all get along and have a lot of fun. That says a lot for them and will produce a pretty special year."