SE: More Magic in Norman – Isaac Battles Windy Conditions to Share Tournament Title
Oct 02, 2020 | Women's Golf, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
The rule of thumb for postponing an NCAA golf tournament is when the wind gusts are strong enough to move golf balls around on the green.
That usually happens with 30 mph gusts - the kind of wind that blew across Belmar Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma on Sunday.
When high winds cut short the second round of the Schooner Fall Classic, there were plenty of relieved golfers.
Reid Isaac was not one of them.
"My long game is very consistent. I don't miss super big to the right or to the left so that helps me keep it in the middle of the fairway on windy days," she said. "The wind was a lot higher on the second day and par was a great score. That's where I can lock in and play better than the typical golfer in the wind."
Isaac brought home the second individual tournament crown of her K-State career at the Schooner Fall Classic, powered by a second-round score of 65 in windy conditions.
She also dropped the second best 54-hole mark in program history with a 70-65-70 (-5) over the weekend, good for a share of the tournament title with All-American Gurleen Kaur of Baylor.
On the final day of the tournament, Isaac went out looking to climb the leaderboard in the second-round restart. She closed her second round going birdie-birdie-eagle and vaulted from contender to tournament leader behind a new career-low round.
But the shot that Isaac will remember came in the final round of the tournament.
With just three holes to go and looking to put as much distance between herself and the field as possible, Isaac dropped her approach shot 58 feet from the pin. She sank the putt.
"That really gave me the momentum that I needed going forward. I was starting to get frustrated because I hadn't gotten a birdie in a while," Isaac said. "I had the feeling that I must be starting to fall behind on the leaderboard. Even though I wasn't, I needed that momentum to keep me going for the last three holes."
Just getting to Norman for the first tournament of an abbreviated fall season has been something of a journey for Isaac.
Like every K-State student-athlete, she had to adjust this summer when COVID-19 wiped out most of the spring season and forced her to train back home in Texas.
Fortunately for the senior, Isaac comes from a family of golfers. Getting out on the course with her two sisters helped her stay sharp during quarantine.
"I pretty much just played with my family and friends for fun all summer," she said. "Once I got back to school, it was time for me to lock in and sharpen up my technique. Our assistant coach, Jared [Helin], has really helped me."
Isaac has also needed to step up for one of her summer golf partners.
In September, Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coast and leveled McNeese State, where her sister Riley is a senior on the golf team.
"Her college town was hit pretty hard by the hurricane, so she's been at home the past few months, just waiting to get back into the rhythm of school and practice," Isaac said. "We've all rallied around her and supported her."
Navigating such a challenging summer, the biggest thing Isaac did to improve her game has nothing to do with golf and everything to do with potato chips. After a summer internship with Frito-Lay, Isaac will join the company next year in sales marketing.
"It's a huge game-changer to not be stressed about what I'm going to do after college," she said. "It just gives me more time to spend on the golf course and focus in on my last year."
Her final season with the Wildcats couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
The 58-foot putt in her final round helped Isaac shoot even par on Monday. After a 30-minute wait for the only other golfers who could pass her to finish their round, Isaac was a tournament champion for the second time in her K-State career.
The victory is even more impressive against the backdrop of COVID-19 and a new normal for Isaac during her final year at Kansas State.
She is balancing in-person classes in Manhattan two days a week with mornings on the golf course at Colbert Hills.
The chance to leave campus for a weekend tournament in Oklahoma was a return to the normal rhythms of the fall season for Isaac and time spent alongside her teammates.
"It was awesome," she said. "Just the camaraderie out there and the fact that we can still have a good time and compete, that's something I was really impressed by."
The Wildcats return to Oklahoma later this month for the Cowgirl Classic at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, their final tournament of an abbreviated fall schedule.
Isaac will have high expectations for herself and her teammates, after an impressive start to an unusual season.
"I'm really excited just to get the chance to improve on everything that I didn't do well this week," she said. "And then just us improving as a team. I'm excited to see what we can do."
The rule of thumb for postponing an NCAA golf tournament is when the wind gusts are strong enough to move golf balls around on the green.
That usually happens with 30 mph gusts - the kind of wind that blew across Belmar Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma on Sunday.
When high winds cut short the second round of the Schooner Fall Classic, there were plenty of relieved golfers.
Reid Isaac was not one of them.
"My long game is very consistent. I don't miss super big to the right or to the left so that helps me keep it in the middle of the fairway on windy days," she said. "The wind was a lot higher on the second day and par was a great score. That's where I can lock in and play better than the typical golfer in the wind."
Isaac brought home the second individual tournament crown of her K-State career at the Schooner Fall Classic, powered by a second-round score of 65 in windy conditions.
She also dropped the second best 54-hole mark in program history with a 70-65-70 (-5) over the weekend, good for a share of the tournament title with All-American Gurleen Kaur of Baylor.
🏆🔥 Sizzling start to senior year.
— K-State Women's Golf (@KStateWGolf) September 28, 2020
Reid Isaac (@reidisaac14) shoots second-lowest tournament tally in program history, 70-65-70--205 (-5), to open 2020-21 campaign with share of her second individual title.#KStateWGolf x Schooner Fall Classic
📊 https://t.co/RCehfq7VgV pic.twitter.com/Et4FPN4PoO
On the final day of the tournament, Isaac went out looking to climb the leaderboard in the second-round restart. She closed her second round going birdie-birdie-eagle and vaulted from contender to tournament leader behind a new career-low round.
But the shot that Isaac will remember came in the final round of the tournament.
With just three holes to go and looking to put as much distance between herself and the field as possible, Isaac dropped her approach shot 58 feet from the pin. She sank the putt.
"That really gave me the momentum that I needed going forward. I was starting to get frustrated because I hadn't gotten a birdie in a while," Isaac said. "I had the feeling that I must be starting to fall behind on the leaderboard. Even though I wasn't, I needed that momentum to keep me going for the last three holes."
Just getting to Norman for the first tournament of an abbreviated fall season has been something of a journey for Isaac.
Like every K-State student-athlete, she had to adjust this summer when COVID-19 wiped out most of the spring season and forced her to train back home in Texas.
Fortunately for the senior, Isaac comes from a family of golfers. Getting out on the course with her two sisters helped her stay sharp during quarantine.
"I pretty much just played with my family and friends for fun all summer," she said. "Once I got back to school, it was time for me to lock in and sharpen up my technique. Our assistant coach, Jared [Helin], has really helped me."
Isaac has also needed to step up for one of her summer golf partners.
In September, Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coast and leveled McNeese State, where her sister Riley is a senior on the golf team.
"Her college town was hit pretty hard by the hurricane, so she's been at home the past few months, just waiting to get back into the rhythm of school and practice," Isaac said. "We've all rallied around her and supported her."
Navigating such a challenging summer, the biggest thing Isaac did to improve her game has nothing to do with golf and everything to do with potato chips. After a summer internship with Frito-Lay, Isaac will join the company next year in sales marketing.
"It's a huge game-changer to not be stressed about what I'm going to do after college," she said. "It just gives me more time to spend on the golf course and focus in on my last year."
Her final season with the Wildcats couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
Still throwing darts 🎯
— K-State Women's Golf (@KStateWGolf) September 28, 2020
Isaac knocks it close on 17, even through nine and holding a two-stroke lead in the final round.#KStateWGolf x Schooner Fall Classic pic.twitter.com/5CJqm5ZQbu
The 58-foot putt in her final round helped Isaac shoot even par on Monday. After a 30-minute wait for the only other golfers who could pass her to finish their round, Isaac was a tournament champion for the second time in her K-State career.
The victory is even more impressive against the backdrop of COVID-19 and a new normal for Isaac during her final year at Kansas State.
She is balancing in-person classes in Manhattan two days a week with mornings on the golf course at Colbert Hills.
The chance to leave campus for a weekend tournament in Oklahoma was a return to the normal rhythms of the fall season for Isaac and time spent alongside her teammates.
"It was awesome," she said. "Just the camaraderie out there and the fact that we can still have a good time and compete, that's something I was really impressed by."
The Wildcats return to Oklahoma later this month for the Cowgirl Classic at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, their final tournament of an abbreviated fall schedule.
Isaac will have high expectations for herself and her teammates, after an impressive start to an unusual season.
"I'm really excited just to get the chance to improve on everything that I didn't do well this week," she said. "And then just us improving as a team. I'm excited to see what we can do."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
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