UW Golf Round Up

BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

In every golf bag for every golfer around the world, there are a maximum of 14 clubs allowed. And before any golfer can hope to attain greatness, he or she must be able to master each one of those clubs for distance control, touch, trajectory, and accuracy.

Paying your dues, building a game — it’s fully dependent on time spent on the driving range, practice greens and practice rounds. That attention to detail, perfecting all the shots, will get you partially on your way there.

Then there’s on-course management, both mental and physical, that separates contenders from pretenders. As University of Washington Men’s Golf Coach Alan Murray says, “anyone can be the best practice player in the world but playing in tournaments is how you know better from worse. It’s all about the tournaments.”

There are obvious exceptions — Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm (all were NCAA standouts) — who likely had all the shots and the right thoughts while still in the womb. But for most of us, it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to develop all facets of the game, getting better year by year.

And, for Murray, it’s having enough of those players to put together a championship team. One year ago, the Huskies had a veteran team, led by Noah Woolsey and R.J. Manke, both fifth-year seniors. Woolsey won the Pac-12 individual title and sank the winning putt to give the Huskies the conference crown at Aldarra Golf Club in nearby Sammamish.

Manke, originally from Lakewood, Wash., was part of Pepperdine’s national championship team in 2021 before transferring to Washington for his final year. He finished among the top-10 players in the country. Both linksters are now working their way through the professional ranks.

Next season, Petr Hruby (Czech Republic) and Bo Peng (China) both will be in the same situation as fifth year seniors for the Huskies, having been granted essentially a redshirt (COVID) year. In fact, UW does not lose a player (barring any transfers) from this year’s team and will be adding three far-flung freshmen, Finn Koelle from Germany, Henry Hayward from England, and Justin Bai from China.

It’s a rotating carousel of experience that can contribute to favorable results. Hruby and Peng, along with junior teammates Taehoon Song (South Korea) and Teddy Lin (Taiwan) had seven top-10 finishes among them this season. Hruby won the Lamkin San Diego Classic while Peng finished third at The Goodwin.

Murray said Hruby “has been in the lineup since he got here. He’s a little better each year.” He added that Peng “really started to blossom this year. He was third at Harding Park, sixth at the Pac-12s. Solid finishes. He’s close to winning.”

Murray also said that freshman Josh Koo, of Cerritos, Calif., who played in more events than anyone on the team (10), made significant strides in course management and could be ready to bloom next season as a sophomore.

The Huskies did not win a tournament this season but got better as the schedule closed. They were tied for first place entering the final round of the Pac-12 Championship in early May, but the defending champions slipped to fifth at the finish. Perhaps, a lesson learned for next year when everyone who played in the Pac-12s returns.

UW was good enough to be ranked among the top 40 teams in the country, which earned them a berth at the NCAA Regionals in mid-May. The Huskies were sixth at the Auburn Regional.

Murray expects steady improvement from all his players, as well as competitive nudges from the three newcomers.

“Next year, our lineup will be a lot more unpredictable,” Murray added. “With the new guys, the water will be a little muddier to the obvious candidates. Which, as a coach, is what you want.”

The Washington women’s golf team, under longtime coach Mary Lou Mulflur, is in a situation not unlike the men’s team. The Husky women also were led by — and will return — two veteran players: juniors Stefanie Deng (China) and Camille Boyd (Yorba Linda, Calif.). Both finished the season by qualifying for the NCAA Regional at Palouse Ridge May 8-10, outside Pullman, Wash.

Deng shot a 3-under-par 213 to finish in a tie for 23rd place at the Regional, but Boyd sustained a heartbreaking loss on the final day. Locked in a duel with UC Riverside’s Tifffany Le, Boyd birdied the final hole for a 13-under-par 203, one short of her own school record. However, Le chipped in for eagle on the 18th to edge Boyd by one shot, denying her the chance to advance to the NCAA Championships.

“What a brutal way to lose by one, with the other player chipping in for eagle on 18,” Mulflur said. “It was as tough a loss as you can get.”

It ended a solid campaign for Boyd and Deng, who powered the Huskies all season. They completed the year with the team’s two lowest-scoring averages, Boyd at 74.11 and Deng at 74.88. Each had two top-10 finishes and combined for 10 sub-par rounds. Only one other Husky earned a top-10 finish and just three others had a sub-par round, one apiece.

The pair gives Mulflur and the Huskies two seasoned players, tested in the NCAAs. Both Boyd and Deng know what it takes to be competitive as they enter their fourth season at Montlake. (They have the option of an additional fifth season but likely will attempt to turn pro after the 2024 season).

“I’m really proud of both players. It’s a good springboard into next season,” said Mulflur. “It’s something to learn and grow from.”

The team had a pair of seniors, Brittany Kwon (Bremerton) and Winnie Ng (Malaysia), but both likely will not exercise a fifth-year option. Kwon is considering law school while Ng will be transferring to Missouri to be closer to her brother in Kansas City.

Overall, it was a youthful squad with two freshmen and four sophomores on the roster. The Huskies won just one tournament, the Causeway Invitational in late February, and finished 9th at the Pac-12 Championships.

“We did not have the depth we needed to have,” Mulflur added. “Looking back, I think Camille put a lot of pressure on herself to perform well.”

Mulflur, whose 2016 UW team won the NCAA championship, will bring in two experienced international players next season, Vivian Lu of New Zealand and Maddie Smith from England.

“I think we’ll look for our best players (Deng and Boyd) to be more vocal leaders,” said Mulflur, who will be entering her 41st season at Montlake. “We’re going to be a stronger team next year.”