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/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Gophers Look Forward to Spring Schedule
1/27/2022 5:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
The University Minnesota women's golf team opens the spring season on Jan. 31 at the B1G Match Play in Palm Harbor, Fla. In advance of it, head coach Rhyll Brinsmead, assistant coach Matt Higgins and student-athletes sat down with GopherSports.com to give their thoughts on spring expectations and much more.
GopherSports: What did you learn during the fall season that you will bring with you during the spring?
Rhyll Brinsmead: The biggest thing we learned from the fall season is that we've got depth in the lineup. Each event we played in this fall, we had a different individual leader leading the way. This offseason we talked a lot about bridging the gap and what needs to happen to find success as a team in tournaments. There has been a lot of focus on the short game. We looked at the stats and we were losing a lot of strokes on putting. This offseason we had a lot of emphasis on our lag putting and our speed putting. Already after our training trip we've seen massive improvement in that area.
Matt Higgins: I believe the team learned to be more in control of their game both mentally and emotionally. They learned more of the non-technical aspects of things. I really think they can apply that this spring. We've already seen it during our training trip. We are really looking forward to seeing how they apply that in these spring tournaments.
GS: What expectations do you have for the spring?
RB: The expectations we have are to just focus on the process. I think we can get really wrapped up in talking about the postseason and competing in May, but we need to wind it back a little bit and focus on the daily habits we are learning and growing from. We will focus on the daily process of getting better. We are inside practicing right now and I think that is a huge advantage for us because we've spent a lot of time working on the fundamentals of our game, a lot of wedge practice, a lot of putting practice, and expectation wise we are looking day-to-day. We will put rounds together, add them up and see where we are at. I have a lot of faith and confidence in this team as individuals and holistically, and I am really excited about what we have collectively and where we will be come May.
GS: What event are you most looking forward to?
RB: As we head into the spring season, honestly I am looking forward to all of our events. As we look at the individual events, UCF's tournament is a feature of the spring. It is a field that is as good as you will see anywhere, and I think that will give us a good opportunity early on to see where we stack up. We have a real opportunity to get some quality wins. I know that golf course really well as we played that tournament a lot when I was at Kennesaw State. I think it's a huge advantage that I can help the players navigate the golf course during the practice round and really that is such a great event. We are really looking forward to getting down there.
GS: What does success look like for the team this spring?
RB: Success this spring looks like a culmination of individual improvements from event to event. We saw a lot of individual performances that were great in the fall, so success for me is bringing that all together. I firmly believe that we have the talent on our roster to post great numbers as a team. That will vary from tournament to tournament and with weather conditions that go along with it, but success for us will be putting the rounds together that we know we are capable of. I am not going to put a number to it because we are going to go out, focus on our daily process, win the daily goals, add it up at the end of the day and directionally we are heading in the right place. I am really excited to get our roster out on the road and get competition started.
GS: Are there any golfers to watch for?
RB: This spring we have three events that will allow us to take six players on the travel team to compete. We will have more opportunities for different players to have a chance to get into the lineup this spring. Individually, we are looking at Jo [Joanne Free], Geri [Geraldine Wong] and Karen [Zhang]. It is their senior year, their last hurrah, and I know they are highly motivated to get out there and finish in a strong way. It really is the whole lineup. I think, individually, any given week anybody can be featured. They are highly competitive with each other and I think if we continue to push from the bottom and post some numbers, it will continue to be motivating for the players who are trying to make the lineup to keep working hard. I am excited to see who is going out there and who will lead the way. I actually couldn't name a specific player at this point because everybody is playing great golf.
GS: As upperclassmen, how do you hope to lead the team this spring?
Emma Carpenter: This is my first year as an upperclassmen, but over the last couple of years I have been able to look up to my teammates who have had more experience than me. Now, having a couple seasons under my belt, I feel like I can be that for some of the freshmen on this team. I want to let them know that I will always be there for them with anything they need and that I will be there to push them in the same way they push me.
Grace Curran: It has definitely been a new challenge in the new role for me, but we are really enjoying it. We are all great friends here on the team, so it doesn't even feel like there is an upperclassmen to underclassmen divide. We all feel the same. It definitely has been nice to be able to help the freshmen out and show them the ropes. We have a great team culture. It has been great but it is definitely different from before.
GS: As a fifth year senior, you are competing in your last season for the Gophers. What are you most looking forward to?
Joanne Free: I would say I am most excited about having the chance to compete with my sisters for one last semester. Also, the whole spring schedule looks amazing and I am happy I get to represent the Maroon and Gold one last time.
GS: What are you most excited for this spring?
Leah Herzog: I am most excited to compete with everyone and be back at it again. I've never had a spring season up here, so I am really excited to see how we can push each other indoors. It will be fun traveling and going to warmer weather.
Boram Jung: I am really looking forward to this upcoming season because it is my first year of getting opportunities to play in college tournaments and I couldn't find opportunities like this in my home country. I am super excited to travel with my teammates, learn and gain new experiences together.
GS: What part of your game has improved the most during the offseason?
Alexis McMurray: I am really excited for the spring because during the offseason I worked really hard not only on the technical golf skills but also the mental side of the game. I've really worked on believing in myself, which I think has helped me show my talents and optimize my performance. I am really excited to show that in tournaments but also just to be playing alongside my teammates and starting my college career with the Gophers.
Marta Perez: Over the winter break I went home to Spain and it is so much warmer there. I had the opportunity to work with my mental coach and I think I really improved. Thanks to the weather, I also was able to improve my short game because it is so much easier to practice putting. I am looking forward to the spring and I am super excited for it.
GopherSports: What did you learn during the fall season that you will bring with you during the spring?
Rhyll Brinsmead: The biggest thing we learned from the fall season is that we've got depth in the lineup. Each event we played in this fall, we had a different individual leader leading the way. This offseason we talked a lot about bridging the gap and what needs to happen to find success as a team in tournaments. There has been a lot of focus on the short game. We looked at the stats and we were losing a lot of strokes on putting. This offseason we had a lot of emphasis on our lag putting and our speed putting. Already after our training trip we've seen massive improvement in that area.
Matt Higgins: I believe the team learned to be more in control of their game both mentally and emotionally. They learned more of the non-technical aspects of things. I really think they can apply that this spring. We've already seen it during our training trip. We are really looking forward to seeing how they apply that in these spring tournaments.
GS: What expectations do you have for the spring?
RB: The expectations we have are to just focus on the process. I think we can get really wrapped up in talking about the postseason and competing in May, but we need to wind it back a little bit and focus on the daily habits we are learning and growing from. We will focus on the daily process of getting better. We are inside practicing right now and I think that is a huge advantage for us because we've spent a lot of time working on the fundamentals of our game, a lot of wedge practice, a lot of putting practice, and expectation wise we are looking day-to-day. We will put rounds together, add them up and see where we are at. I have a lot of faith and confidence in this team as individuals and holistically, and I am really excited about what we have collectively and where we will be come May.
GS: What event are you most looking forward to?
RB: As we head into the spring season, honestly I am looking forward to all of our events. As we look at the individual events, UCF's tournament is a feature of the spring. It is a field that is as good as you will see anywhere, and I think that will give us a good opportunity early on to see where we stack up. We have a real opportunity to get some quality wins. I know that golf course really well as we played that tournament a lot when I was at Kennesaw State. I think it's a huge advantage that I can help the players navigate the golf course during the practice round and really that is such a great event. We are really looking forward to getting down there.
GS: What does success look like for the team this spring?
RB: Success this spring looks like a culmination of individual improvements from event to event. We saw a lot of individual performances that were great in the fall, so success for me is bringing that all together. I firmly believe that we have the talent on our roster to post great numbers as a team. That will vary from tournament to tournament and with weather conditions that go along with it, but success for us will be putting the rounds together that we know we are capable of. I am not going to put a number to it because we are going to go out, focus on our daily process, win the daily goals, add it up at the end of the day and directionally we are heading in the right place. I am really excited to get our roster out on the road and get competition started.
GS: Are there any golfers to watch for?
RB: This spring we have three events that will allow us to take six players on the travel team to compete. We will have more opportunities for different players to have a chance to get into the lineup this spring. Individually, we are looking at Jo [Joanne Free], Geri [Geraldine Wong] and Karen [Zhang]. It is their senior year, their last hurrah, and I know they are highly motivated to get out there and finish in a strong way. It really is the whole lineup. I think, individually, any given week anybody can be featured. They are highly competitive with each other and I think if we continue to push from the bottom and post some numbers, it will continue to be motivating for the players who are trying to make the lineup to keep working hard. I am excited to see who is going out there and who will lead the way. I actually couldn't name a specific player at this point because everybody is playing great golf.
GS: As upperclassmen, how do you hope to lead the team this spring?
Emma Carpenter: This is my first year as an upperclassmen, but over the last couple of years I have been able to look up to my teammates who have had more experience than me. Now, having a couple seasons under my belt, I feel like I can be that for some of the freshmen on this team. I want to let them know that I will always be there for them with anything they need and that I will be there to push them in the same way they push me.
Grace Curran: It has definitely been a new challenge in the new role for me, but we are really enjoying it. We are all great friends here on the team, so it doesn't even feel like there is an upperclassmen to underclassmen divide. We all feel the same. It definitely has been nice to be able to help the freshmen out and show them the ropes. We have a great team culture. It has been great but it is definitely different from before.
GS: As a fifth year senior, you are competing in your last season for the Gophers. What are you most looking forward to?
Joanne Free: I would say I am most excited about having the chance to compete with my sisters for one last semester. Also, the whole spring schedule looks amazing and I am happy I get to represent the Maroon and Gold one last time.
GS: What are you most excited for this spring?
Leah Herzog: I am most excited to compete with everyone and be back at it again. I've never had a spring season up here, so I am really excited to see how we can push each other indoors. It will be fun traveling and going to warmer weather.
Boram Jung: I am really looking forward to this upcoming season because it is my first year of getting opportunities to play in college tournaments and I couldn't find opportunities like this in my home country. I am super excited to travel with my teammates, learn and gain new experiences together.
GS: What part of your game has improved the most during the offseason?
Alexis McMurray: I am really excited for the spring because during the offseason I worked really hard not only on the technical golf skills but also the mental side of the game. I've really worked on believing in myself, which I think has helped me show my talents and optimize my performance. I am really excited to show that in tournaments but also just to be playing alongside my teammates and starting my college career with the Gophers.
Marta Perez: Over the winter break I went home to Spain and it is so much warmer there. I had the opportunity to work with my mental coach and I think I really improved. Thanks to the weather, I also was able to improve my short game because it is so much easier to practice putting. I am looking forward to the spring and I am super excited for it.
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