University of Georgia Athletics
Seeing Is Believing For Bulldogs
March 30, 2015 | Women's Golf
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
ATHENS, Ga. -- There was little reason, at least based on recent results, to believe that what happened this weekend at the UGA Golf Course was in the offing. But Georgia women's golf coach Josh Brewer has never stopped believing.
"I know they can do it and I'm just hoping now it gives them the belief in themselves," Brewer said Sunday afternoon, after watching his team play No. 1 Southern California to a draw in the championship match of the 43rd annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.
The Trojans and Bulldogs each finished with 2.5 points at the end of five head-to-head matches. USC was able to walk away with the big glass trophy (and a bunch of miniature bulldog trophies for the players) because its margin of victory in its two wins was greater than Georgia's.
Georgia sophomore Sammi Lee was one of the Dogs that came up short Sunday, falling 2 & 1 to USC's Kyung Kim on the 17th hole. With Kim one up on 17 and both players short of the green after two strokes, Kim hit a brilliant pitch to about 18 inches. Lee almost matched it, her pitch rolling about four feet past the hole, even burning the edge, but she was unable to sink the par putt to keep the match going.
It was a bittersweet day for Georgia, which played even with the top team in the land and produced its best result -- against one of the strongest fields in the country this season -- in many months. But Georgia also had the lead on the back nine in four of the five matches and couldn't close the deal.
"Playing the way we did and being even in the championship bracket and having a chance is huge for us," said Lee, who moved the Bulldogs into the championship round Saturday afternoon by winning the 18th hole and earning a draw in the last remaining match.
"It's what we needed because we are good enough, we just haven't been able to put it together."
Manuela Carbajo Ré had the easiest day for Georgia. The junior from Argentina, who has plenty of match play experience, won the first four holes against Gabriella Then and cruised to a 3 & 2 victory. Carbajo Ré looked so relaxed and confident throughout, even pausing for a minute to get something to drink and watch a goose feed on some grass by the No. 13 green, before continuing her march toward victory.
"I started to worry about just my own game and that way I was four up at No. 5. I didn't realize how good I was playing until I was 2-under already," Carbajo Ré said. "That was pretty good. I never thought about winning or anything, I was just playing my own game until the end."
The Bulldogs hadn't finished in the top 10 of a tournament since October. In its last competition before hosting the Liz, Georgia placed last in the 17-team field at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head. And in Friday's opening round, the only stroke play round of the tournament, the Dogs struggled in tough, windy conditions on their home course, shooting a 317.
In the 12-team field, only the top eight made it into the championship match play bracket. Georgia, ranked No. 75 last week, got in as the No. 7 seed, one spot ahead of the top-ranked defending champions, Southern Cal. Neither team exactly looked like a threat to the title Friday, but they wound up playing in the big match Sunday.
On Saturday, which featured 36 holes of match play, Georgia beat No. 3 South Carolina in the morning and No. 9 Northwestern in the afternoon. Sunday didn't end quite the way the Bulldogs wanted, but it was darn close. There were some tears afterward, but along with them were smiles and a feeling of pride at having played and competed so well.
"It's tough -- you can see it on my face," Lee said, fighting back tears. "It was a tough finish, but we played great, though. I'm so happy for my team and it was definitely a huge confidence boost to even get to where we were."
Brewer is hoping that seeing is believing for his Bulldogs. He's also hoping that his squad's strong performance this weekend is a springboard not only for the remainder of this season, but for the program.
"I take a bigger look at it. Maybe it's the turning point in this program," Brewer, Georgia's third-year coach, said. "We've been trying for eight, 10 years as a program to get to where Southern Cal is, UCLA, Duke, and they're here this week and we beat them. I know we lost to Southern Cal today, but we gave them everything they could handle. We want to be the program that's mentioned with them."
He has reason to believe. And he's not alone.
"We know, individually, we're all talented and we shouldn't be shooting those scores that we've had in the past and we shouldn't have had those last place finishes," Lee said. "Seeing it come together before our eyes is a great confidence boost for us."
Brewer is hoping to see that confidence and belief on display when Georgia returns to action this weekend in the Seton Hall Pirate Invitational at Trump National Golf Course in New Jersey.
John Frierson is a staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Hall of Fame at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Players Mentioned
