The Colorado women’s golf team begins its spring portion of the 2024-25 season on Friday. The team is currently ranked No. 54 out of 280 universities competing in NCAA Division 1 golf.
Despite being ranked above 80 percent of their competition, the Buffs have struggled to keep up with many of the nation’s top teams.
In five tournaments so far this season, the black and gold finished inside the top three just once. The team’s only podium finish was at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in October. The Buffs quintet played their best golf in this tournament, leading Colorado to its first score under par of the season (-3). The herd was led by freshman Sydney Givens, who has been on a tear since she shot 10-over in her first collegiate start.
Excluding her first tournament, Givens’ combined score in the four most recent events is 4-under. She is the only Buffalo shooting under par in that timeframe. Fellow freshman Ellen O’Shaughnessy’s 10-over is the next-best combined score, 14 strokes more than Givens.
Givens attributes some of her success to her teammates.
“Our team really helps one another,” Givens said. “I have learned a lot from my team on the mental aspect and how they deal with adversity.”
O’Shaughnessy led the Buffs in their most recent tournament by two strokes. Her 2-over score at the Nanea Invitational in Hawaii landed her at No. 20 on the individual leaderboard, her highest placement at any tournament.
The Dublin, Ireland native not only has to acclimate to collegiate golf, but also to life in America.
“To live away from home in a completely different country and way different culture was definitely one adjustment that I was learning to adapt to,” O’Shaughnessy said. “On the course, the standard is so much higher… Honestly, you’re pushing yourself so much harder.”
Regardless of O’Shaughnessy’s success in Hawaii, the team finished 19-over and placed seventh out of 11 teams. After the first round, the Buffs sat in fifth place at even par. However, the squad proceeded to shoot 7-over and 12-over in the final two rounds.
Higher third-round scores have been a common pattern for Colorado this season. Through five final rounds played in the fall, the black and gold are a combined 30-over.
Nevertheless, O’Shaughnessy believes the team can turn it around.
“I think we will, definitely, for the next semester and years to come, strive to put those three days together,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Which is so important.”
The squad struggled in its two most recent tournaments, shooting a combined 40-over compared to the collective 20-over score from the team’s first three tournaments. This was partly due to the pressure that comes from facing six of the top 25 teams in the nation.
Competing against the best is always a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to get better.
“We learn a lot from how they play (Stanford and Texas), and we can transfer that into our game,” Givens mentioned. “Competing against those teams has really shown us that we can compete at the highest level.”
The journey towards the Big 12 Championship starts in Mexico at the Collegiate Invitational at Guadalajara. The Buffs will have a chance to get out of the snow and hopefully onto the green this Friday.