In just two months both men’s and women’s golf participated in half a dozen tournaments, unlike previous seasons in which matches were separated throughout the fall and spring semesters.
This adjustment, however, did not slow the athletes’ excellent performance, as both teams are now headed to the Big South Championship. Traveling to Ninety-Six for the event, the women will compete on April 15-17, while men play April 18-21.
Head Coach Kevin Pendley will lead the men’s team into the championship. Pendley was named Big South Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2015 and was inducted into the 2008 Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame and the Big South Conference Hall of Fame in 2010.
Last week Freshman Austin Mosher was named the Big South Conference Men’s Golf Co-Freshman of the Week, sharing the title with Radford’s Bryce Corbett, as both tied for tenth at the Golfweek Spring Invitational April 5-6.
Mosher is ranked 16th in Big South with a stroke average of 73.86, following junior Ryan Tattan who is ranked sixth with a 72.46 average.
This will be the first time Women’s Head Coach Kasay Gambrell is leading the Eagles into a conference championship since she joined Winthrop Athletics in August of 2019.
“I am excited to be heading into the Big South Conference. We’ve worked hard all year and can’t wait to see how we perform,” Gambrell said. “I know they are ready to compete and are excited to get the chance to play.”
“It is the best feeling in the world to be advancing to my first Big South Championship,” Regan Clifford said.
A freshman, Clifford has diligently worked through this semester to balance both course work and the busy sporting schedule.
“At the beginning of the season I wasn’t sure if I was going to be in the top five on the team because my game wasn’t at its best, but I continued to work hard and got my game to where it needs to be just in time for the biggest tournament of the year,” Clifford said.
At the Golfweek Spring Invitational on April 6, the final tournament of the regular season, Clifford posted the team’s second-lowest round with a 4-over 75.
Fellow freshman Valentine Savioz marked another exceptional game of her collegiate career with her second Top-10 finish of the season and first Top-10 in a 54-hole event.
“Some words of advice or encouragement I give them is to really focus on the present moment. It matters what they do in this moment right now and not what happened previously or what could happen in the future,” Gambrell said.
Also at the tournament, sophomore Makenna Brindley led the team in Par-3 scoring at 2-over and junior Sarah Funderburg finished T13, marking her second time in the Top-15 this season.
Savioz and Clifford led the team in Par-4 scoring with +11, and Winthrop finished the afternoon fifth out of eight overall.
“I have learned so much these past couple months. My goals for next season are to stay positive throughout my round of golf because I have learned how a negative attitude can affect my game so much and it doesn’t benefit me to be negative and be so hard on myself,” Clifford said.
Academically, Clifford has set a personal goal to earn a GPA of 3.5 or above for the remainder of her years at Winthrop.
“I know it is only going to get harder from here but I’m ready for the challenge and I’m excited for my next three years as a student-athlete,” Clifford said. “I love being a collegiate athlete and having a rigorous schedule is fun and there has never been a dull moment at Winthrop being an athlete.”
Senior Whitney Carter is also very eager to attend the championship with her teammates.
“To advance to the Big South Championship is very exciting. We work hard to have the best attitudes we can whether we are practicing or playing so that we can always be ready,” Carter said.
Even though this year did not go as planned, Carter has taken advantage of the time to finish up undergraduate requirements for Athletic Training.
“Following graduation, I plan to become an Athletic Trainer in the high school setting. I’m not sure how much competitive golf I’ll do, but I’ll definitely play for fun,” Carter said.
“After the season ends I will sit down with each player individually and go over goals for the summer. As golf is an individual sport, everyone is different in what they need to accomplish to get better,” Gambrell said
Although there are no set plans for the fall season, Head Coach Gambrell is looking at a normal fall season with five tournaments. But until then, it is time to cheer for the Eagles as they enter the Big South Conference Championship.
