As the UNLV women’s golf team prepared to play in its NCAA regional this month, coach Amy Bush-Herzer said her players approached the event with a sense of celebration.
“We came in with a focus on having fun in case this was our last time together,” she said of her senior-heavy group.
That same approach can be taken this week with one huge caveat: This is definitely their last time together.
The Rebels have reached the pinnacle of college golf as they prepare to play in the NCAA championship starting Friday at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. It’s the first time in 10 years UNLV has reached the season finale, and there will be plenty of firepower all over the course.
Almost all of the top teams in the country advanced through regionals to reach the 30-team tournament, including the top 14 teams in the nation. Only three other schools ranked lower than No. 35 UNLV are in the field.
At the top of the list is defending champion Stanford, a team so dominant it won eight of the nine stroke-play tournaments it played this season. The Cardinal are making their 15th consecutive appearance in the championship and their 39th overall.
But Bush-Herzer and her team are undaunted by the task at hand. They’ve had plenty of success themselves, with two wins and five runner-up finishes this season. The Rebels won the Mountain West title over preseason favorite San Jose State, then emerged from their NCAA regional as a seventh seed, where they went toe-to-toe with top teams Arkansas, Ohio State and LSU.
“It’s been a beautiful year with a lot of great memories,” Bush-Herzer said.
Seniors Toa Yokoyama, McKenzi Hall, Hina Matsui and Mayumi Umezu, along with sophomore Zi Yu Foong, will play together one last time this week.
The tournament is a fitting cap to the seniors’ college careers.
“Doing it with this group of people, we have worked so hard for this,” Hall said. “I couldn’t have imagined it any better.”
Neither can Bush-Herzer, who this week was named a finalist for the Women’s College Golf Association coach of the year. The program made great strides on and off the course, opened its excellence center at Las Vegas Country Club and saw an influx of community support.
“It means so much to have the golf community in Las Vegas and have people believe in us,” she said.
That community will be watching this week as the Rebels tee it up at La Costa. After three rounds, the 30-team field will be cut in half, and after a fourth round, eight teams will advance to match play to decide the national champion.
Whether it’s three days or longer, the players are excited to get started.
“This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Hall said. “I can’t wait to represent UNLV this week.”
Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
Up next
What: NCAA women’s golf national championship
When: Friday-Wednesday
Where: La Costa Resort, Carlsbad, Calif.
