‘They’ve Earned Their Spot’
Apr 18, 2024 | Women's Golf, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The Houston Oaks Golf Club in Hockley, Texas, resides on nearly 1,000 acres of picturesque Texas countryside, a short drive northwest of downtown Houston. The golf course was ranked No. 2 in Texas by Dallas Morning News in 2020. The most defining element of the course is the celebration of Bermuda Grass and an abundance of large 200-year-old oak trees that the course winds along.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it might serve as the venue where the Kansas State women's golf team puts final touches on one of its best regular seasons in history. K-State is ranked No. 55 in the nation, and star junior Carla Bernat is the 23rd-ranked amateur women's golfer in the world, and the Wildcats, while playing in the one of the toughest conferences in the country, have put together a resume worthy of consideration for a NCAA Regional.
A grand showing in the 2024 Big 12 Championship appears within grasp when the Wildcats tackle the par-71, 6,249-yard Houston Oaks by starting off hole No. 1 on Thursday at 10 a.m.
K-State has finished either last or next to last in the Big 12 Championship in six of the past seven seasons. It has finished in last place in each of the past two campaigns.
The Wildcats are in an entirely different orbit under first-year head coach Stew Burke, a former K-State assistant who led Tulane for four seasons prior to being named head coach for the K-State women's golf program on June 30, 2023.
Burke is excited about the team's progress in his first season.
"It's awesome," he said. "We're way ahead of where I thought we'd be. That's really cool to go into the Big 12 and be really competitive. They've earned their spot. They've earned their plaudits from the other schools and coaches who've mentioned how good they look and how much they've improved.
"You know, golf is a cruel game. Sometimes it can be easy and other times it can be incredibly difficult. It's just showing what you can do."
Eleven of 13 squads in the Big 12 are ranked in the top 60 in the nation. K-State's scoring average of 290.44 would be the school record by nearly seven shots per round if the Wildcats had five more rounds to qualify. Additionally, K-State's average placing of 6.11 is its best in a regular season since averaging 5.7 during the 2016-17 season.
K-State has finished in the upper half of each of the past three stroke play tournaments. The team finished fifth place among the tough 17-team field at 19-over par 883 at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at UGA Golf Course in Athens, Georgia on March 30.
Bernat, a native of Castellon, Spain, turned in a final-round score of 1-under par 71 to put the finishing touches on a dominant six-shot victory, claiming the individual title in the tournament before competing in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Bernat, who ranks 22nd in the NCAA and 23rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, holds a team-leading 70.14 scoring average, which would rank first in school history by over two strokes per round if she had three more rounds to qualify. In her seven stroke-play starts this season, the reigning Big 12 Women's Golfer of the Month has finished in the top five on five occasions, including a win at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational in October and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.
She is the first Wildcat with two victories in a season since 2017-18. Her two wins, in addition to Haley Vargas' title at the White Sands Invitation this past October, marks the first time since 2017-18 that K-State posted three individual crowns in one season.
Bernat, who transferred to K-State from Tulane prior the season, is tied for third place in school history with two career wins and is tied for eighth place with four top-five finishes.
"Her development has been massive," Burke said. "Her skill level has improved, just organically, and it's really been our mantle, her course management and how she prepares and sets up for tournaments have gotten better and better. She's really patient. She knows she doesn't have to force anything.
"She's figured out this is a steppingstone for the next level, and on the next level you're going to have some rounds where you just need to make the cut. We've kind of had that as her look to the future. Your game might not be great on this round, but we can start again tomorrow."
Six members of the team — Bernat and Vargas along with senior Napua Glossner, sophomore Noa van Beek and freshmen Julia Ballester Barrio and Alenka Navarro — will travel to Hockley as five members will compete in each round with substitutions allowed between rounds.
Navarro, a freshman from Mexico City, is second on the team with a 73.45 scoring average, just ahead of Vargas' 73.68 mark. A native of Lubbock, Texas, Vargas has four top-20 finishes, which includes a victory at the White Sands Invitational in late October. Her season scoring average through 25 rounds currently ranks second in school history, while her career average of 75.40 ranks fourth.
Asked what he liked best about his team, Burke replied, "They're pretty direct with each other, and they're close with one another. I love that.
"They want to win," Burke continued. "I say it all the time in meetings – they can't want this more than me, and they want it the same as me, which is the cool part. They want to be in the mix. We've been up in the mix a few times this season, and we've been successful some of the time and unsuccessful other times, but they haven't shied away from it. They want to be in position and have the pressure.
"We've really tried to achieve some of the big things that we know they can do."
Now they get their chance to do something really significant with a resounding regular season finish in the Big 12 Championship.
The Houston Oaks Golf Club in Hockley, Texas, resides on nearly 1,000 acres of picturesque Texas countryside, a short drive northwest of downtown Houston. The golf course was ranked No. 2 in Texas by Dallas Morning News in 2020. The most defining element of the course is the celebration of Bermuda Grass and an abundance of large 200-year-old oak trees that the course winds along.
On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it might serve as the venue where the Kansas State women's golf team puts final touches on one of its best regular seasons in history. K-State is ranked No. 55 in the nation, and star junior Carla Bernat is the 23rd-ranked amateur women's golfer in the world, and the Wildcats, while playing in the one of the toughest conferences in the country, have put together a resume worthy of consideration for a NCAA Regional.
A grand showing in the 2024 Big 12 Championship appears within grasp when the Wildcats tackle the par-71, 6,249-yard Houston Oaks by starting off hole No. 1 on Thursday at 10 a.m.
K-State has finished either last or next to last in the Big 12 Championship in six of the past seven seasons. It has finished in last place in each of the past two campaigns.
The Wildcats are in an entirely different orbit under first-year head coach Stew Burke, a former K-State assistant who led Tulane for four seasons prior to being named head coach for the K-State women's golf program on June 30, 2023.
Burke is excited about the team's progress in his first season.
"It's awesome," he said. "We're way ahead of where I thought we'd be. That's really cool to go into the Big 12 and be really competitive. They've earned their spot. They've earned their plaudits from the other schools and coaches who've mentioned how good they look and how much they've improved.
"You know, golf is a cruel game. Sometimes it can be easy and other times it can be incredibly difficult. It's just showing what you can do."
Eleven of 13 squads in the Big 12 are ranked in the top 60 in the nation. K-State's scoring average of 290.44 would be the school record by nearly seven shots per round if the Wildcats had five more rounds to qualify. Additionally, K-State's average placing of 6.11 is its best in a regular season since averaging 5.7 during the 2016-17 season.
K-State has finished in the upper half of each of the past three stroke play tournaments. The team finished fifth place among the tough 17-team field at 19-over par 883 at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at UGA Golf Course in Athens, Georgia on March 30.
Bernat, a native of Castellon, Spain, turned in a final-round score of 1-under par 71 to put the finishing touches on a dominant six-shot victory, claiming the individual title in the tournament before competing in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Bernat, who ranks 22nd in the NCAA and 23rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, holds a team-leading 70.14 scoring average, which would rank first in school history by over two strokes per round if she had three more rounds to qualify. In her seven stroke-play starts this season, the reigning Big 12 Women's Golfer of the Month has finished in the top five on five occasions, including a win at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational in October and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.
She is the first Wildcat with two victories in a season since 2017-18. Her two wins, in addition to Haley Vargas' title at the White Sands Invitation this past October, marks the first time since 2017-18 that K-State posted three individual crowns in one season.
Bernat, who transferred to K-State from Tulane prior the season, is tied for third place in school history with two career wins and is tied for eighth place with four top-five finishes.
"Her development has been massive," Burke said. "Her skill level has improved, just organically, and it's really been our mantle, her course management and how she prepares and sets up for tournaments have gotten better and better. She's really patient. She knows she doesn't have to force anything.
"She's figured out this is a steppingstone for the next level, and on the next level you're going to have some rounds where you just need to make the cut. We've kind of had that as her look to the future. Your game might not be great on this round, but we can start again tomorrow."
Six members of the team — Bernat and Vargas along with senior Napua Glossner, sophomore Noa van Beek and freshmen Julia Ballester Barrio and Alenka Navarro — will travel to Hockley as five members will compete in each round with substitutions allowed between rounds.
Navarro, a freshman from Mexico City, is second on the team with a 73.45 scoring average, just ahead of Vargas' 73.68 mark. A native of Lubbock, Texas, Vargas has four top-20 finishes, which includes a victory at the White Sands Invitational in late October. Her season scoring average through 25 rounds currently ranks second in school history, while her career average of 75.40 ranks fourth.
Asked what he liked best about his team, Burke replied, "They're pretty direct with each other, and they're close with one another. I love that.
"They want to win," Burke continued. "I say it all the time in meetings – they can't want this more than me, and they want it the same as me, which is the cool part. They want to be in the mix. We've been up in the mix a few times this season, and we've been successful some of the time and unsuccessful other times, but they haven't shied away from it. They want to be in position and have the pressure.
"We've really tried to achieve some of the big things that we know they can do."
Now they get their chance to do something really significant with a resounding regular season finish in the Big 12 Championship.
Players Mentioned
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