Texas A&M Women's Golf
Turning The Page: Women's golf looks forward after historic season
When you reach a certain level of success, especially in sports, the pressure to repeat the performance can be overwhelming.
In the case of Texas A&M’s women’s golf team, the 2014-15 season was unquestionably one of the most successful in the program’s history. With four tournament wins, including the SEC title, to go along with four more individual championships (including another SEC trophy) there’s a lot of curious eyes wondering what the team will do.
So, when you’re in that position, how do you handle it? According to head coach Trelle McCombs, it’s all about mindset. You can either rest on your laurels and wait for the wins to come to you, or you can go out and get them.
This year, the Aggies are opting for the latter.
“We actually talked about a shark versus a goldfish,” McCombs said when discussing her team’s focus. “If you think of it in that mentality; a goldfish is just somebody’s little pet that waits around all day to get fed and they’re so excited to get fed. A shark is the predator and goes after what it wants.”
If the first tournament of the spring season is any indication, we’re witnessing full well what type of fish this team is capable of being.
After being named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2015, there was just one thing Maddie Szeryk hadn't done yet as a member of the maroon and white: win. She took care of that milestone Sunday with a winning score of five under in the Florida State Match-Up.
It marked just the second time in program history that an Aggie had won the same event in back-to-back years and paid credence to what Szeryk’s coach had been telling her and the rest of the team.
“I think, for the girls, (last season) was something they found to be a little extra pressure, because they were trying to match it, rather than writing a new chapter in the book. That’s how we’ve talked about it,” McCombs said. “We’re not trying to redo or mimic, we’re just writing a new chapter.”
The next stop on the Aggies’ schedule, after their fifth place finish in Florida, comes in early March at the 3M Augusta Invitational. From there, A&M goes to a place its extremely comfortable.
“Hawaii is always fun,” Says McCombs. While that statement holds true for obvious reasons, what A&M has done there in the past four years makes the trip into the Pacific all the more exciting.
The Aggies have claimed victory in three of the past four years, with the lone finish outside the winner’s circle coming last season when the team finished second behind Oklahoma State.
While that might make Hawaii feel like home, another stop later in the season makes an even stronger claim because, well, it is home.
This year, Traditions Golf Club will host the NCAA Regionals. From there, six teams will advance to the national championship. Having hosted the 2011 NCAA Championships (A&M finished 7th) McCombs knows what the pressure of hosting an event of that magnitude can be like. She also knows how beneficial an opportunity like that can be for her team.
“The good thing is that we have a lot of information for regionals, as far as the setup and the course. I can imagine there will be some pressure on the girls to play well and be part of the six teams getting out,
“But, you cannot look at it as the mindset of surviving, you have to look at it with the mindset of winning like you do in any tournament on any given week. I’d say there’s definitely excitement, especially considering we know the course and know the setup.”
The Aggies have four tournaments between now and regionals, including a return to Hoover, Alabama as the defending SEC champions. During that time, McCombs wants to see them learn from each round and work on things like course management and decision making.
Those small steps are crucial to putting together a good hole, a good round and a good tournament. By putting yourself in the right position on a golf course, you’re already establishing the foundations for a successful week.
You’re also making sure that the next chapter your team writes will be a good one.
In the case of Texas A&M’s women’s golf team, the 2014-15 season was unquestionably one of the most successful in the program’s history. With four tournament wins, including the SEC title, to go along with four more individual championships (including another SEC trophy) there’s a lot of curious eyes wondering what the team will do.
So, when you’re in that position, how do you handle it? According to head coach Trelle McCombs, it’s all about mindset. You can either rest on your laurels and wait for the wins to come to you, or you can go out and get them.
This year, the Aggies are opting for the latter.
“We actually talked about a shark versus a goldfish,” McCombs said when discussing her team’s focus. “If you think of it in that mentality; a goldfish is just somebody’s little pet that waits around all day to get fed and they’re so excited to get fed. A shark is the predator and goes after what it wants.”
If the first tournament of the spring season is any indication, we’re witnessing full well what type of fish this team is capable of being.
After being named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2015, there was just one thing Maddie Szeryk hadn't done yet as a member of the maroon and white: win. She took care of that milestone Sunday with a winning score of five under in the Florida State Match-Up.
It marked just the second time in program history that an Aggie had won the same event in back-to-back years and paid credence to what Szeryk’s coach had been telling her and the rest of the team.
“I think, for the girls, (last season) was something they found to be a little extra pressure, because they were trying to match it, rather than writing a new chapter in the book. That’s how we’ve talked about it,” McCombs said. “We’re not trying to redo or mimic, we’re just writing a new chapter.”
If you think of it in that mentality; a goldfish is just somebody’s little pet that waits around all day to get fed and they’re so excited to get fed. A shark is the predator and goes after what it wants.
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If A&M is truly turning the page, what lies ahead may be even more exciting to watch.The next stop on the Aggies’ schedule, after their fifth place finish in Florida, comes in early March at the 3M Augusta Invitational. From there, A&M goes to a place its extremely comfortable.
“Hawaii is always fun,” Says McCombs. While that statement holds true for obvious reasons, what A&M has done there in the past four years makes the trip into the Pacific all the more exciting.
The Aggies have claimed victory in three of the past four years, with the lone finish outside the winner’s circle coming last season when the team finished second behind Oklahoma State.
While that might make Hawaii feel like home, another stop later in the season makes an even stronger claim because, well, it is home.
This year, Traditions Golf Club will host the NCAA Regionals. From there, six teams will advance to the national championship. Having hosted the 2011 NCAA Championships (A&M finished 7th) McCombs knows what the pressure of hosting an event of that magnitude can be like. She also knows how beneficial an opportunity like that can be for her team.
“The good thing is that we have a lot of information for regionals, as far as the setup and the course. I can imagine there will be some pressure on the girls to play well and be part of the six teams getting out,
“But, you cannot look at it as the mindset of surviving, you have to look at it with the mindset of winning like you do in any tournament on any given week. I’d say there’s definitely excitement, especially considering we know the course and know the setup.”
The Aggies have four tournaments between now and regionals, including a return to Hoover, Alabama as the defending SEC champions. During that time, McCombs wants to see them learn from each round and work on things like course management and decision making.
Those small steps are crucial to putting together a good hole, a good round and a good tournament. By putting yourself in the right position on a golf course, you’re already establishing the foundations for a successful week.
You’re also making sure that the next chapter your team writes will be a good one.
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