Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Photo by: ©JC Ridley/Owlpix.com
Season Recap: Women's Golf Reaches New Heights
5/3/2019 11:57:00 AM | Women's Golf
BOCA RATON, Fla. – It was a year of progress and milestones during head coach Aimee Neff's first season at the helm of the Florida Atlantic University women's golf program. The team reached heights it hasn't before, including a 306.73 scoring average for the season which is the lowest in school history.
"I think we progressed a lot as team from the fall to the spring," said Neff. "It doesn't necessarily show in all of our scores because we were able to play some tougher golf courses this spring and get into some bigger events, which is exciting. I think we'll continue to play in stronger tournaments in the years to come."
Besides having the lowest scoring average in program history, the Owls also recorded five top-15 54-hole scores. That's the second most of any season behind 2007-08. FAU's score of 879 in the FAU Fall Invite was the lowest 54-hole total in school history and its 899 score at the Pat Bradley Invite was the second lowest.
At the Conference USA Championship in Fort Myers the Owls shot a 906 through three rounds, the lowest score by FAU in the C-USA tournament since joining the league in 2013 and fourth lowest round in program history. It was 33 strokes lower than the previous season. That score included a 299 for round two which is the Owls' lowest single round C-USA Championship score ever.
Overall, the Owls moved up 33 spots in the national Golfstat.com rankings, reaching 157th by the end of the season thanks to the improved play by the ladies. FAU's improved stroke average was 5.03 strokes better per round than last season. That equates to about 15 strokes better per tournament.
Three different individuals recorded four 54-hole scores that rank in the top-15 all-time at FAU. Two of those came from junior Amanda Leslie, who now owns the lowest 54-hole score in school history after shooting 4-under (212) at the FAU Fall Invite to claim first place at the tournament.
"Amanda Leslie was consistent through the fall and spring," said Neff. "She was our leader. She steps up and does whatever I ask of her in practice, on the course, in the classroom, the community. To me, she's the heart and soul of our team and we're in a good place going into next year with our top four players all returning. We'll have some new additions as well."
Leslie boasts a 76.08 stroke average for the season, seventh all-time at FAU and nearly two strokes better than her average last season. Her career stroke average of 76.84 is currently second in program history with one season left to play. Her improvements helped her move up 232 spots in the national rankings from the end of last season.
Taylor Morgan, also a junior, had an impactful presence with the team as well. Morgan's 2-under score at the FAU Fall Invite was the third lowest 54-hole score in school history and helped her claim second place behind Leslie. Morgan took nearly three strokes off of her average score from last season, averaging 77.50 this year. That leap helped her move up 343 spots in the national rankings.
Senior Tai Barber finished her career with the fourth most birdies in FAU history with 129 and seven career par or better round scores which is fifth. She also saw an improvement this season with a 76.94 scoring average, over one stroke better than her score a year ago.
Freshmen Arielle Keating and Rosa Barnak made impressive debuts. Keating averaged 77.69 strokes per round. Barnak joined the Owls in January and averaged 78.36 for the spring.
Off the course, the golf Owls thrived in the classroom and in the community.
"I think we're one of the most holistic teams on campus," Neff said. "We've had the highest team GPA for four-consecutive semesters. We won the Owl Cup, giving credit to our academic prowess, our community involvement and supporting other FAU teams. I think each of these young women are good ambassadors for the University. We did things not just locally but globally as well with our Golf Fore Africa campaign."
Women's golf claimed the Owl Cup at the annual FAU Athletics award ceremony, the Owlspy's. The Owl Cup is determined based on points earned through academic achievement, community service, Red/Blue game attendance, Life Skills attendance and utilizing priority registration. The team completed over 180 hours of community service and participated in several life skills workshops.
One of Neff's many goals for the season was to bring the team closer together and give them real-life experiences.
"Starting in the fall season we had a great team bonding experiences," Neff said. "We did a scavenger hunt with the women's tennis team. We did the ropes course on campus which was good team bonding again and helped conquer some of our fears. We took some self-defense classes to be proactive and to equip the young women with life skills beyond the golf course and making them feel empowered. We ended the fall season with an Escape Room, which thankfully we got out. We worked well together there."
Some of the team-bonding experiences included competitions amongst the team.
"One of the things I really did love about the girls, any time I had them in team competitions where I broke them up they stepped up and relished the opportunity to compete," Neff said. "Even if that was bowling or a relay race at practice, they loved it and were eager for the challenge. I think that competitive nature was something from the season that I saw and I anticipate going into next year as being one of the strongest attributes of our team. I can assure you every one of the girls that's on the team has that fire in her and that's something I'm proud of. We're going to continue to work hard to maintain that."
For complete coverage of FAU women's golf, follow along on Twitter (@FAUWGolf), Instagram (@FAUWomensGolf) and Facebook (FAU Women's Golf).
"I think we progressed a lot as team from the fall to the spring," said Neff. "It doesn't necessarily show in all of our scores because we were able to play some tougher golf courses this spring and get into some bigger events, which is exciting. I think we'll continue to play in stronger tournaments in the years to come."
Besides having the lowest scoring average in program history, the Owls also recorded five top-15 54-hole scores. That's the second most of any season behind 2007-08. FAU's score of 879 in the FAU Fall Invite was the lowest 54-hole total in school history and its 899 score at the Pat Bradley Invite was the second lowest.
At the Conference USA Championship in Fort Myers the Owls shot a 906 through three rounds, the lowest score by FAU in the C-USA tournament since joining the league in 2013 and fourth lowest round in program history. It was 33 strokes lower than the previous season. That score included a 299 for round two which is the Owls' lowest single round C-USA Championship score ever.
Overall, the Owls moved up 33 spots in the national Golfstat.com rankings, reaching 157th by the end of the season thanks to the improved play by the ladies. FAU's improved stroke average was 5.03 strokes better per round than last season. That equates to about 15 strokes better per tournament.
Three different individuals recorded four 54-hole scores that rank in the top-15 all-time at FAU. Two of those came from junior Amanda Leslie, who now owns the lowest 54-hole score in school history after shooting 4-under (212) at the FAU Fall Invite to claim first place at the tournament.
"Amanda Leslie was consistent through the fall and spring," said Neff. "She was our leader. She steps up and does whatever I ask of her in practice, on the course, in the classroom, the community. To me, she's the heart and soul of our team and we're in a good place going into next year with our top four players all returning. We'll have some new additions as well."
Leslie boasts a 76.08 stroke average for the season, seventh all-time at FAU and nearly two strokes better than her average last season. Her career stroke average of 76.84 is currently second in program history with one season left to play. Her improvements helped her move up 232 spots in the national rankings from the end of last season.
Taylor Morgan, also a junior, had an impactful presence with the team as well. Morgan's 2-under score at the FAU Fall Invite was the third lowest 54-hole score in school history and helped her claim second place behind Leslie. Morgan took nearly three strokes off of her average score from last season, averaging 77.50 this year. That leap helped her move up 343 spots in the national rankings.
Senior Tai Barber finished her career with the fourth most birdies in FAU history with 129 and seven career par or better round scores which is fifth. She also saw an improvement this season with a 76.94 scoring average, over one stroke better than her score a year ago.
Freshmen Arielle Keating and Rosa Barnak made impressive debuts. Keating averaged 77.69 strokes per round. Barnak joined the Owls in January and averaged 78.36 for the spring.
Off the course, the golf Owls thrived in the classroom and in the community.
"I think we're one of the most holistic teams on campus," Neff said. "We've had the highest team GPA for four-consecutive semesters. We won the Owl Cup, giving credit to our academic prowess, our community involvement and supporting other FAU teams. I think each of these young women are good ambassadors for the University. We did things not just locally but globally as well with our Golf Fore Africa campaign."
Women's golf claimed the Owl Cup at the annual FAU Athletics award ceremony, the Owlspy's. The Owl Cup is determined based on points earned through academic achievement, community service, Red/Blue game attendance, Life Skills attendance and utilizing priority registration. The team completed over 180 hours of community service and participated in several life skills workshops.
One of Neff's many goals for the season was to bring the team closer together and give them real-life experiences.
"Starting in the fall season we had a great team bonding experiences," Neff said. "We did a scavenger hunt with the women's tennis team. We did the ropes course on campus which was good team bonding again and helped conquer some of our fears. We took some self-defense classes to be proactive and to equip the young women with life skills beyond the golf course and making them feel empowered. We ended the fall season with an Escape Room, which thankfully we got out. We worked well together there."
Some of the team-bonding experiences included competitions amongst the team.
"One of the things I really did love about the girls, any time I had them in team competitions where I broke them up they stepped up and relished the opportunity to compete," Neff said. "Even if that was bowling or a relay race at practice, they loved it and were eager for the challenge. I think that competitive nature was something from the season that I saw and I anticipate going into next year as being one of the strongest attributes of our team. I can assure you every one of the girls that's on the team has that fire in her and that's something I'm proud of. We're going to continue to work hard to maintain that."
For complete coverage of FAU women's golf, follow along on Twitter (@FAUWGolf), Instagram (@FAUWomensGolf) and Facebook (FAU Women's Golf).
Players Mentioned
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