Marilynn Smith Invite Live stats

STATESBORO – Growth is one of the tenets of the Georgia Southern women's golf program, now in its third season of existence.

Head coach Emily Kuhfeld wants to see growth. Mature as a person, develop your golf game, expand your academic horizons and in doing so, help nurture the fledgling program – that is her goal. There will be bumps along the road, but those will just aid the process. With one junior, three sophomores and three freshmen, the Eagles are young once again in 2017-18, and the measuring stick for Kuhfeld will be growth throughout the season. 

"We view our failures as opportunities to learn," said Kuhfeld. "They don't let us down, it's just more information on how to improve for next time, and I think we have really good attitudes when it comes to that so I've been really impressed by the girls being able to kind of pick things up and keep going if they hit a minor setback."

The Eagles have been playing and practicing since classes began in mid-August and took their annual retreat at the end of the month. It's a chance to bond and build team chemistry in a sport that is both individual and team oriented all at the same time.

"We do have four new players and on a team of seven, that's a majority so it's been really nice watching them get to know each other a little bit," said Kuhfeld. "We already had our team retreat, which was a great opportunity for them to spend more time together and not necessarily on the golf course. We did zip lining, hiking and a bunch of different things."

The Eagles play their first tournament Sept. 17-19 at the K-State Marilynn Smith Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas. Junior Ansley Bowman, sophomore Ella Ofstedahl and freshmen Ashlynn Joyner, Sarah Noonan and Natalie Petersen will be in the lineup. How the Eagles compete will be a better measuring stick than what the results wind up being for such a young team.

"That's the number one thing we're trying to do is trying to break down the old habits and build up some new ones that can help them be more successful," said Kuhfeld. "I think that the main thing is trying to instill better habits with them. Time management habits, obviously knowing their golf games, knowing how to practice a little more effectively, and I've already seen some growth on that with just three weeks of practice."

Bowman is the lone student-athlete who has been with the program from the beginning, and she is the top returner in terms of scoring average after competing in eight of 10 tournaments last season. She is the team captain and has been invaluable in aiding the adjustment of the newcomers.

"This is our first year to have somebody who has been here for two years already, starting her third year, has been through everything with us here, has experienced a lot in her own growth but also the program's growth, and she's as passionate as the coaching staff is on getting this program to the next level," said Kuhfeld. "So it's been really wonderful having her to be able to set that example for the other girls."

Sophomores Ella Ofstedahl and Julianna Collett are the other two returners. Ofstedahl played in four tournaments, including the Sun Belt Championship in April, where she shot a 73 for her best round of the year.

"Since Ella has been back, we've been working a lot on her ball flight and controlling her ball flight," said Kuhfeld. "She has also worked hard and made marked improvements in her short game since she's been here. Ella had a great junior golf career, and she's an excellent player so we're looking to her this year to really step up for us." 

Collett also played in four tournaments last season before an injury forced her out of action. She is progressing well and hopes to get back in the lineup this fall.

"Julianna is chipping and putting a lot, working on her short game and just trying to make something good out of it," said Kuhfeld. "It's not anyone's dream situation, but her short game has improved leaps and bounds by spending all this time on it. We're definitely ready for her to get healthy, be able to hit some full shots and get back in the lineup."

Sophomore Autumn Gabe joined the team this fall. An accomplished junior player, she suffered an injury in high school that forced her out of action for the better part of two full seasons. Her leadership has been essential as she works her way back.

"I see Autumn being able to help the team in a variety of ways and see her golf game growing and growing during her time here," said Kuhfeld. "Having Autumn join the program has really been a blessing for us."

Three freshman will get thrown into the fire immediately as Joyner, Petersen and Noonan make their collegiate debuts this weekend. The coaching staff has worked hard to simulate a tournament environment to prepare for a tough schedule.

"We're up against some top teams that are very experienced, very use to all of this, that are going to feel a lot more comfortable than we probably will, but we're doing something kind of different in qualifying," said Kuhfeld. "We're calling them home tournaments this year in trying to stimulate some high pressure situations and throw different things at them to get them you know mentally and emotionally ready for all that. Obviously, when they tee it up it is going to feel a little different no matter what you're doing for practice, but we're doing everything we can every day to make them as prepared as possible and then it will be a really great opportunity to see how we do."

What Kuhfeld and the Eagles hope to see most is growth.

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