SE: K-State Women’s Golf Ready to Finish Season on High Note at Big 12 Championship
Apr 17, 2018 | Women's Golf, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
At first, K-State's women's golfers were not happy when they were told to stay away from the golf course for a few days. The competitiveness in them wanted to fix everything as soon as possible.
"We just said, 'We don't want to see you out here,'" K-State head coach Kristi Knight said, recalling frustratingly confused responses after the Wildcats' last tournament on April 2-3. "Then they embraced it."
The Wildcats returned to some of their best practices of the season in preparation for the Big 12 Championship in Dallas, Texas, this Friday through Sunday.
"They got some rest and they've played good golf," Knight said, before emphasizing one fact: "This is a talented team."
K-State's talent also includes four freshmen, with their inexperience amplifying the already up-and-down nature of golf.
The Wildcats won two tournaments in the fall, with senior Connie Jaffrey securing two individual titles and freshman Reid Isaac claiming another. Freshman Ella Adams posted a 7-under par 65 during this spring's Westbrook Invitational, the second-lowest 18-hole score in program history. Collectively, the Wildcats hold a 297.41 season scoring average, which currently ranks third in school history and just 0.11 strokes shy of the school record.
Despite this, the Wildcats feel like they have underperformed, especially as of late. Their last two tournaments included their two highest scores of the season, prompting the required hiatus from the course.
"Golf's a funny game. We have not, as a team, played very well this spring but it's not for a lack of trying or caring," Knight said. "These kids have been busting their butts and probably over-trying at times, being a little hard on themselves."
Jaffrey, the team's lone senior, agreed with her head coach. She can remember going through similar ups and downs as a freshman.
"Sometimes you just get on a run where it doesn't quite come together and your game is not quite there, and you really want to play well so you try and force it a bit more," Jaffrey said. "I think as a team, because we came off such a hot run in the fall semester, we kind of expected we could do the same this semester. But golf's up and down; that's the way it works. I think we just had a spell where we weren't playing so good, but you can always come back from that. That's what we're going to try and do."
After their few days off, the Wildcats returned with a different kind of focus, one less bothered by the occasional bad shot.
"I think we got in our heads a little bit and were really trying too hard, honestly. Now we're just going out there, having fun and enjoying the weather, and just focusing on each shot but not too much to the point where it gets into our heads," Isaac said. "I'm really excited to go out there and prove to ourselves that we can finish on a high note.
"I think we're all just ready to bounce back."
K-State will get that opportunity against the rest of the conference at the Dallas Athletic Club, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus and hosted the 1963 PGA Championship.
Knight said the course somewhat resembles the setup of Manhattan Country Club, where the Wildcats have been preparing the most recently.
"It's got more doglegs and more tree-lined. It's just a good, quality golf course. It's hard. There's nothing unfair about it. There's nothing goofy about it. It's just right there in front of you," she said. "It's the type of golf course the Big 12 Women's Championship should be on."
Jaffrey, who played the course as a freshman, looks to improve upon her No. 59 national ranking on Golfstat.com to help boost her chances for an individual bid to an NCAA Regional.
Like her teammates, she's doing so with a pressure-free mindset.
"I'm trying to stay focused on what I have to work on, trying to not get ahead of myself, and I'm just going to stay in the present moment and do the best I can," she said. "If I bring the best I can to the tournament, then that's all I can do."
At first, K-State's women's golfers were not happy when they were told to stay away from the golf course for a few days. The competitiveness in them wanted to fix everything as soon as possible.
"We just said, 'We don't want to see you out here,'" K-State head coach Kristi Knight said, recalling frustratingly confused responses after the Wildcats' last tournament on April 2-3. "Then they embraced it."
The Wildcats returned to some of their best practices of the season in preparation for the Big 12 Championship in Dallas, Texas, this Friday through Sunday.
"They got some rest and they've played good golf," Knight said, before emphasizing one fact: "This is a talented team."
K-State's talent also includes four freshmen, with their inexperience amplifying the already up-and-down nature of golf.
The Wildcats won two tournaments in the fall, with senior Connie Jaffrey securing two individual titles and freshman Reid Isaac claiming another. Freshman Ella Adams posted a 7-under par 65 during this spring's Westbrook Invitational, the second-lowest 18-hole score in program history. Collectively, the Wildcats hold a 297.41 season scoring average, which currently ranks third in school history and just 0.11 strokes shy of the school record.
Despite this, the Wildcats feel like they have underperformed, especially as of late. Their last two tournaments included their two highest scores of the season, prompting the required hiatus from the course.
"Golf's a funny game. We have not, as a team, played very well this spring but it's not for a lack of trying or caring," Knight said. "These kids have been busting their butts and probably over-trying at times, being a little hard on themselves."
Jaffrey, the team's lone senior, agreed with her head coach. She can remember going through similar ups and downs as a freshman.
"Sometimes you just get on a run where it doesn't quite come together and your game is not quite there, and you really want to play well so you try and force it a bit more," Jaffrey said. "I think as a team, because we came off such a hot run in the fall semester, we kind of expected we could do the same this semester. But golf's up and down; that's the way it works. I think we just had a spell where we weren't playing so good, but you can always come back from that. That's what we're going to try and do."
After their few days off, the Wildcats returned with a different kind of focus, one less bothered by the occasional bad shot.
"I think we got in our heads a little bit and were really trying too hard, honestly. Now we're just going out there, having fun and enjoying the weather, and just focusing on each shot but not too much to the point where it gets into our heads," Isaac said. "I'm really excited to go out there and prove to ourselves that we can finish on a high note.
"I think we're all just ready to bounce back."
K-State will get that opportunity against the rest of the conference at the Dallas Athletic Club, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus and hosted the 1963 PGA Championship.
Knight said the course somewhat resembles the setup of Manhattan Country Club, where the Wildcats have been preparing the most recently.
"It's got more doglegs and more tree-lined. It's just a good, quality golf course. It's hard. There's nothing unfair about it. There's nothing goofy about it. It's just right there in front of you," she said. "It's the type of golf course the Big 12 Women's Championship should be on."
Jaffrey, who played the course as a freshman, looks to improve upon her No. 59 national ranking on Golfstat.com to help boost her chances for an individual bid to an NCAA Regional.
Like her teammates, she's doing so with a pressure-free mindset.
"I'm trying to stay focused on what I have to work on, trying to not get ahead of myself, and I'm just going to stay in the present moment and do the best I can," she said. "If I bring the best I can to the tournament, then that's all I can do."
Players Mentioned
K-State Women's Golf | Carla Bernat ANWA Recognition
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Women's Golf | Behind The Scenes Photoshoot
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Men's Golf | Wildcat Invitational
Tuesday, November 11
K-State WGOLF | Carla Bernat Augusta National Women's Amateur Recognition
Saturday, November 01
