The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1043000
NOVEMBER 2018 ■ 117 lowest 54-hole score in school history at an NCAA Regional. Overall, she averaged 73.87 shots per round last year, and has lowered that to 72.6 through the first two tournaments this season. Marsh loves Kowohl's fierce competi- tiveness and said she is in the process of learning she is as good as anyone in the country. She has improved her putting and has always been consistent at driving the ball and her ball striking. The native of Kronau, Germany, has worked hard on her wedge play during the summer. "She is learning to be unafraid to em- brace the possibility she has," Marsh said. "She is very talented and everyone has to find that ability challenge themselves to be unafraid and want a little more, even though you might fail a little bit. "In the process when you stretch that way, it's amazing what you might do." Clyburn was second on the team with a 74.53 average and Ko was third with a 75.56 shots per round last year. Both had a pair of top-10 finishes in 2017-18 and four top- 20 showings. "Naomi is learning to man- age her talent and she is going to have a really good year," Marsh said. "She is learning to manage the game she is playing. "I see India really enjoy- ing herself this year. There is a sparkle and a joy, and I love seeing seniors embrace what the opportunity is." Sangkapong, a former trans- fer from Gardner-Webb, and Hartl will be counted upon for bigger roles this season. Both are better adjusted to what is needed to succeed after last year. Sangkapong in particular has an intense desire for success with a work ethic to match it. "She wants it to happen now, which hap- pens to a lot of us," Marsh said. "She is always at the golf course working. "I can't drive up and she's not there. She is such a hard worker." ■ Newcomer To Watch Freshman Lea Klimentova of Bratislava, Slova- kia, suffered a pair of knee injuries prior to com- peting at NC State, and that slowed her progress some. She averaged 76.3 shots in her NC State debut at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invite in Octo- ber. She was the Slovak amateur champion and also the runner-up at the 2017 Slovak National Match Play Championship. Marsh said her competitive fire and ability to laugh at herself make for a good combina - tion to become a future consistent force for the Wolfpack. Three Golfers To Watch Senior India Clyburn Clyburn finished second on the squad last year with a 73.87 stroke average and played in all 11 tournaments. She is averaging 74.8 shots per round through the first two tournament of her senior year. She carded a 70 on the second day of the ACC Championship, which is the third-best score in program history at the event. The native of Cleethorpes, England, was named to the 2017 All-ACC squad after posting a stroke average of 72.60 her sophomore year. Senior Naomi Ko The native of Victoria, British Columbia, averaged 75.56 shots per round during her junior year, but flashed her talent when she finished second with a 1-over-par 217 at the Bryan National Collegiate. She fired a 70 in the final round of that event, which is her career low for an 18-hole score. Ko is averaging 75.0 shots per round in her first two tournaments this fall. Senior Laura Kowohl The Kronau, Germany, native led NC State with a 73.87 stroke average and had six top-20 finishes last year. She earned ACC Golfer of the Month honors in February 2018, and she followed up with a strong spring. She finished tied for eighth individually at the NCAA Regional, and she had the fourth-best score in program history when she shot a 3-over-par 219 at the ACC Championship, which helped her finish tied for 12th at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. ■ By The Numbers 4 ACC programs ranked in the top 25 of the Women's Golf Coaches Association poll — No. 5 Duke, No. 15 Florida State, No. 17 Wake Forest and No. 22 Clemson. 5 Seniors India Clyburn, Laura Ko- wohl and Naomi Ko are ranked in the top five in NC State history in stroke average. Clyburn is second (74.18), Kowohl is third (74.77) and Ko is fifth (75.18). 67 Strokes by Clyburn in a round at the Rainbow Wahine Dual in Honolulu on March 11, 2017. The mark is tied for the second-best round in program history. Three individual golfers share the school mark with 66 — Augusta James in 2014, Brittany Marchand in 2013 and Rachael Taylor in 2016. Noting The Pack • NC State head coach Page Marsh said she and the team did some soul searching before the start of the season after Iowa State star golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena was found dead on a golf course Sept. 17. Her assailant has been captured, but it sent shock waves through the women's golf community. "It gave us all pause," Marsh said. "We have all been there [in that situation]. All of us who are golfers have been where she was. "We talked and discussed how to be responsive and responsible and attentive, but we can't be paralyzed. We can't let someone steal our joy." The Wolfpack players will honor Arozamena in their own special ways. "To honor someone whose life was cut short, we have to live well and honor our gifts and honor her," Marsh said. "She was a bright light. That is the best we can do in the moment and you continue to be resilient. "It has brought us all together." • The nature of the sport is that the players play their best golf during the summer when academic workloads change and the weather is nice. Marsh expects her players to be in top form when the various fall events take place. "We have the opportunity for amateur golf all year, whatever country you are in because you can travel and play in other places," she said. "The fall season is a really good extension of the summer. The key is to manage your energy. "You don't want it to become a grind. You want to learn to grind but not make it a grind. There is a distinc- tion there." Senior Naomi Ko finished fifth at the 2016 ACC Champion- ships and had four top-20 finishes last year for the Wolfpack. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS