SMU’s women’s golf team is preparing for the NCAA Waco Regional, according to a May 3 announcement. The Mustangs recently competed in the ACC Tournament, where they finished second in stroke play and defeated North Carolina in match play before falling to top-ranked Stanford.
The upcoming regional is significant for SMU as it offers another chance to advance to the NCAA Championship. The team was selected as the No. 4 seed and will compete against several other programs, including Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, Tarleton State, Prairie View A&M, Oregon, Tennessee, LSU, Tulsa, Colorado and Northern Arizona. Play begins on Monday, May 11 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco.
Reflecting on their recent competition with Stanford, a freshman said: “For me, I saw the difference between my game and the games of some of their girls. And obviously I don’t think it’s that far off. To me, it gave me confidence that I’m not that far from this girl who’s playing on the number one team in the country. It gives me confidence. It gives us confidence because obviously we beat every other team in the field. It was really good and insightful to play against them.”
If SMU finishes among the top five teams at regionals they will qualify for an appearance at Omni Las Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad for the NCAA Championship from May 22-27. This marks SMU’s fourth consecutive season qualifying for regionals and its thirteenth overall appearance.
During time off between tournaments several players participated in U.S. Open qualifying events while others took time to reset ahead of postseason play. Coach Lauren Mason said: “We kind of discussed the trajectory and where we’re at, and what we want to achieve moving forward and just really making that vision clear… We’ve got such a great team this year and I keep telling people that. Everything’s coming to fruition. I think the puzzle pieces are coming together.”
A senior added: “I do think that this is a team that can contend for a national championship. I would not have come back after the fall if I didn’t believe that to my core… I think right now we’ve just got to look to regionals, make it through there and take it one round at a time.”
