Flicks from the LPGA offseason — College corner
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, Jan. 16, 2025
Welcome back to offseason Golf Thursday, golf fans!
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If you live anywhere that’s experiencing winter right now, you, like me, have got a case of the northern winter blues. The days are still short, the air is still freezing and the sun is nowhere to be found. Most of us can’t get away from the cold, and for most of us, playing golf takes a pause.
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For LPGA players, this is the perfect time for them to take a break from all things performance and competition. The offseason provides a chance for players to spend some time away from the sport before a long year of competition.
I loved this post on Instagram from the LPGA:
Let this be a little reminder to us all that even the pros take time off from work.
This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
Mary Salter named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the LPGA
Lewine Mair receives 2025 PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism
How will lack of leadership affect LPGA season?
8 wishes for the LPGA in the new year and beyond
Scheffler, Korda, Els named GWAA’s 2024 Players of the Year
Best moments of the 2024 LPGA Tour season
LET News
Entries open for $5 million Aramco Series presented by PIF–Riyadh
What to expect on the Ladies European Tour in 2025?
Epson Tour News
Epson Tour alum Mariel Galdiano making LPGA debut in 2025
Amateur/NCAA News
South Florida women’s golf adds Oklahoma transfer Holly McLean
Five at The IX: How the top 5 of Brentley Romine’s NCAA Division I women’s golf preseason rankings fared in their fall seasons
1. Stanford
The Cardinal very much swept their fall season. They won all four of their match play events, against California, New Mexico, New Mexico State and Texas. They also came in first in all of their stroke play tournaments. (One was a tie resolved by a score tiebreaker but a win nonetheless.) A perfect fall, to say the least.
Individually, sophomore standout Paula Martin Sampedro claimed a share of first place at the Molly Invitational, while junior Megha Ganne captured the championship at the Nanea Invitational.
The defending national champions are looking strong going into the spring season.
2. Texas
The Longhorns got off to a shaky start in the fall with a tie for fourth place at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. However, they quickly redeemed themselves with a win at the Mason Rudolph Championship. This marked the first win for head coach Laura Ianello.
Their win in Tennessee was their only stroke play win of the season. Texas finished in third place at both the Stanford Intercollegiate and the Nanea Invitational. The Longhorns did eke out two match play wins against New Mexico State and New Mexico, and even though they lost to Stanford, they came away with the overall championship.
3. USC
It was a huge fall for some individual Women of Troy. While USC won one stroke play tournament, tied one and placed third in the other, Catherine Park and Jasmine Koo stole the spotlight.
Park won her fourth career collegiate tournament at the Leadership and Golf Invitational. Koo won back-to-back invitationals at the Windy City Collegiate Classic and the Stanford Intercollegiate; she became the first USC freshman in three years to win two consecutive individual titles.
And she wasn’t done.
Koo then took her third straight title at the East Lake Cup, helping USC secure the No. 1 seed in the match play tournament. The Women of Troy went on to claim the match play title with wins against UCLA and LSU.
USC has some strong contenders in Park and Koo going into the spring season and another national championship campaign, but it’s questionable whether or not their team will be strong enough to overcome a dominant Stanford.
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4. UCLA
The Bruins are definitely looking for a bounce back this spring season, as their performance in the fall didn’t have much to show for. Their roundup of stroke play finishes were sixth place, eighth place, fourth place and 13th place.
UCLA lost in the East Lake Cup match play to fiery USC but picked up a win against Oregon to close out the season.
5. South Carolina
The Gamecocks had a really solid fall, winning one stroke play tournament and making some strong pushes to finish in second in their other two. South Carolina’s win at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate was led by senior Hannah Darling and her second collegiate win.
We’ll see how the spring season, beginning in early February, turns out for these women’s golf teams.
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