RIO GRANDE VALLEY – There is a different feeling among The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s golf team as they prepare for the start of the 2023 spring season.
“The feeling is really good,” UTRGV Head Coach Bryan Novoa said. “It’s a feeling of being strong, united, and we have a great vibe going on right now. We have eight individuals that are really working together and committed to the success of the program. I love what I see in practice. I am excited about the six events we have this spring and I see a certain level of commitment now that is refreshing.”
Coach Novoa and assistant coach Paola Cortes-Ortiz have changed this up for the squad this spring. The plan is to play as many rounds as possible because repetition becomes a habit. Previously, the idea has been to stay true to the process and now by playing more rounds, those processes can be put into practice more consistently.
“Golfers are really funny,” Novoa said. “We get lost in technique and then people identifying themselves with who they are and with golf. At the end of the day, it’s a skill. It’s a shot and it’s executed or not executed. There is a reason for that and now we are using logic and common sense in our training. The way to get great at golf is to play golf and we need to play more golf. I always set up practice structures in the past that involved drills and skills, hitting a lot of balls, and have situational practice but now the situation is let’s go play 18 holes and save every stroke we can, shoot as low as we can, and get back to the foundation of the game. Playing the game and not thinking about doing something with our swing. We are simplifying things and becoming great competitors.”
The Vaqueros have a deep and experienced roster with the likes of seniors Julie Luciojuniors Samantha Garza, Sophia Tejedaand Mercedes Benz but the youth for the Vaqueros have helped continue to push the program forward with sophomores Maria Jose Ramirez leading the way.
Freshman Jackie Howard Gonzalez made her debut in the fall and has taken strides in the early part of the spring as well as sophomores Madi Ozuna spirit Catherine Flores.
Coach Novoa loves what he is seeing so far this spring.
“What I love is that they love the format we have set up this spring,” Novoa said. “We have realized how much we love playing the game. When you have love like that for a game and you love competing, great things happen. That’s how you move forward and perform at an expert level.”
The Vaqueros showed improvement in the fall by lowering their team stroke average to 305 and saw Ramirez lead the way individually with a 74.56 stroke average.
If the trend continues for the Vaqueros, the team stroke average could get lower this spring, which could lead to better finishes in the standings and opportunities to get into contention.
The key for the Vaqueros this spring to get their stroke average down is going to be doing better around the green.
“I think our short game is going to be key this spring,” Novoa said. “Green reading, decision making, and being smart around the greens. We need to get to know the golf courses better where we can get up and down more to raise our up and down percentages. We need to get easier looks at birdies and pars where we are not beating ourselves and execute our short game shots. If we can do that then we can get our stroke averages to drop even further.”
This season, the Vaqueros are gearing up for six events starting with the Texas State Invitational and leading to the Western Athletic Conference Championships.
Once again, the Vaqueros will host the UTRGV Invitational at McAllen Country Club for the eighth straight year while also competing at the Islander Classic, HCU Husky Invitational, and the ORU Spring Invite.
Hosting their annual tournament has become something to look forward to every season for the Vaqueros. It is a chance to premiere the Rio Grande Valley to teams from around the country, but it also allows the game of golf to be spread and grown in the community.
“We love hosting,” Novoa said. “I have so many different visions for the Rio Grande Valley for golf. What a better place than in your own backyard to have a model of what great golfers do. Our field will have 85 players this year with 15 teams at a high elite Division I level. I hope everyone comes out and watches because I want to inspire the youth to be better than the field. I want to inspire the region to support women in their golf competitiveness. I want I performance to grow to where people say, when they are five years old, that I want to play golf at UTRGV. That is the purpose of my passion behind growing our program and growing the information and knowledge necessary to compete on a national level.”
The Vaqueros have hit the ground running this spring and they know they have an opportunity to make good things happen.
While they continue to work hard, the biggest thing Coach Novoa wants his team to take away this spring is to have fun and enjoy what they have at hand.
“I want them to have fun, most of all,” Novoa said. “I want them to enjoy themselves and get back to loving to compete and love the opportunity to win. My expectations are to play within themselves and have smart choices in their processes. I want them to fall in love with what is really happening with their decision making. I want them to make it so simple and logical that we lower our stroke average, succeed, and have a blast traveling around the country because of the privilege we have for playing for this institution.”
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