LAMAR CARDS GOLF Lamar women’s golf is rich in tradition and prestige due to several prominent players in the professional golfing ranks. The first star, Clifford Ann Creed, pioneered women’s golf at Lamar and went on to receive her LPGA card in 1962. On January, 26, 1991, Creed was inducted into the Cardinal Hall of Honor. She was made a member of the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame two years prior and is a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Creed won 11 professional events and was fourth on the LPGA money list in 1962. She was the Western Open Champion, a six-time winner of the Louisiana State Open and a member of the Curtis Cup team. Dawn Coe-Jones, a 1983 All-American for Lamar, won her third career LPGA event in 1995 en route to finishing among the top 25 money winners for the seventh-straight year. Coe-Jones was also elected to the Cardinal Hall of Honor in Oct., 1995. She is a 1997 inductee in the National Golf Coaches Association Collegiate Hall of Fame. Two other former Lady Cardinals who enjoyed professional careers are Jennifer Wyatt and Gail Anderson Graham. Wyatt won an LPGA event in 1992 and Graham collected her first victory in 1995 at the Fieldcrest Canon Classic. Graham was inducted into the Cardinal Hall of Honor on Feb. 25, 2000. Other Lamar golfers who have played professionally include Lori Brock, Patty Grant, Lynn Cooke Parker and Dawn Kortage. Coe-Jones led Lamar to the 1983 NCAA Championships where the Lady Cardinals finished seventh as a team. Coe-Jones finished 11th individually, the highest finisher ever for a Lady Cardinal golfer. After sending individuals to the NCAA Championships in 1984 (Lori Brock - 94th place), 1987 (Jennifer Wyatt - T41) and 1989 (Elsabe Hefer - T75), Lamar again competed as a team in 1991. Pat Park, who was instrumental in the building of the Lamar golf program, was named the 1991 National Coach of the Year and West Region Coach of the Year. Lamar once again made a solid showing as it took eighth place. Katharina Larsson (T21) and Louisa Bergsma (T26) both posted top 30 finishes for the Lady Cardinals. Bergsma returned to the NCAA Championships in 1992 as an individual and tied for 37th. Bergsma now serves as the Director of Operations for the Southern Texas PGA, which is located at Cypresswood Golf Club in Spring, Texas. She was part of the 2006 Cardinal Hall of Honor Induction class. For the first time in 1993, Lamar was able to compete for a conference championship as the Sun Belt Conference sponsored women’s golf. Lamar dominated the tournament in 1993, winning the team title by 29 strokes behind a medalist performance from Bergsma. Lamar was awarded a trip to the 1993 NCAA Regionals and placed 18th as a team. Bergsma was Lamar’s top finisher, tying for 51st place. In 1994, Lamar was even more impressive at the SBC Tournament, winning by 40 shots. Bresha Marshall took home the individual title on her way to being named All-SBC. She was joined on the all-conference team by Andrea Dobson,
Dawn Coe-Jones
2013-14 Information Guide
Melissa Isham and Karen Saevarsdottir. Laura Myers also picked up SBC Coach of the Year honors. Dobson and Saevarsdottir each played in the 1994 NCAA Regionals, with Dobson finishing 12th and moving on to the NCAA Championships where she tied for 91st. Lamar made it three Sun Belt titles in a row in 1995 with a 25-stroke victory. Dobson took home individual medalist honors for Lamar, and was named All-SBC for the third straight year. Shirin Hornecker and Marshall were also named to the all-conference squad. The Lady Cardinals would win their final SBC title in 1996 as Hornecker won individual medalist honors. Hornecker, Saevarsdottir and Lotte Moeller were named All-SBC, and Myers picked up her second Coach of the Year honor. After leaving the Sun Belt and joining the Southland Conference, Lamar competed for a team title in 2002. While the Lady Cardinals did not win the championship that first year, Catrin Joyce (1st Team), Casey Cain (2nd Team) and Helen Kunick (2nd Team) were all recognized by the league’s coaches. Lamar did pick up a team title in 2003 as Brad McMakin was named SLC Coach of the Year and Cain was named first-team All-SLC. SLC Freshman of the Year Hillary Zeigler won individual medalist honors at the 2005 conference tournament as Lamar won its second Southland title. Brian White was named the SLC Coach of the Year, and Cain was named first-team all-conference for the third straight season. Lamar would defend its crown in 2006 as yet another freshman would win individual medalist honors at the SLC Championships. This time it was Therese Nilsson who would pick up the victory for Lamar on her way to being named freshman of the year and first-team all-conference. Nilsson would complete her four-year career in 2009 as the only Southland Conference player to be named first-team all-conference four times. Lamar just missed out on winning four straight conference titles as the Lady Cardinals finished second at the SLC Tournament in both 2007 and 2008. Senior Stine Pedersen became the third Lady Cardinal to win individual medalist honors at the Southland Conference Championships as she won a sudden-death playoff on the third hole in 2011. Lamar placed second at the tournament, with Pedersen being named first-team all-conference and Julie Aime taking home second-team honors. Aime became a three-time All-SLC selection as she guided Lamar back to a Southland Conference title in 2013. The Lady Cardinals entered the final round of the championships down four strokes but battled back to take the title behind the play of Aime, and fellow first-team all-conference selection Nghi Ngo. Lamar advanced to the NCAA Central Regional where they recorded a 22nd-place finish.
Louisa Bergsma
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