NGU women’s golf looks to build on strong start
Brady Goldblatt, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of NGU athletics
North Greenville University’s women’s golf team continued their fall season at the Savannah Lakes Invitational on Sept. 21-22 in McCormick, South Carolina. The tournament was hosted by Lander University and was the second tournament of the season for the Trailblazers.
NGU finished 16 out of 18 teams with a three-round score of 956. Reaghan McDaniel led the team individually with a 234, while Anna Gressette had a 236.
Although the team did not finish with a score they were hoping for in the opening tournament, head coach Bud Tate said,” the result does not tell the entire story.”
The Savannah Lakes field included many highly ranked teams, making it a challenging test for the team’s first tournament. NGU also had four freshmen and one sophomore competing due to injuries of other players.
The Trailblazers started the season off at the Emmanuel University Invitational in Georgia on Sept. 7-8. NGU finished third out of the nine teams that participated with a team score of 969. Gressette and McDaniel had a consistent performance throughout the tournament, while Olivia Jones recorded the team’s lowest round with a 75 in the second round.
Tate said, “I was pleased with the opening tournament.”
NGU also had a six-stroke lead with 11 holes remaining before later finishing third, only a few strokes behind first place and just one stroke behind second.
The team’s early season also comes after a strong history in the years past. In 2024, NGU won its first Conference Carolinas championship by 17 strokes. The team was also able to advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament that season. Tate was later named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year, with Nicole Kramer earning Player of the Year honors.
However, the team today is much younger, with several freshmen already making big plays. Tate said, “Olivia Jones, Reaghan McDaniel, Anna Gressette and Lillian Rivers have all earned opportunities to compete early in the season.”
Seniors Kaitlyn Hagler, Kate Matthews and Gracie Lee are also showing strong leadership for the less experienced players.
With such a young team, Tate said one of his main goals is “keeping players focused on the next matches ahead instead of worrying about their overall score.”
He encourages his players to focus on the present and “execute one shot at a time.” He also wants the team to learn from mistakes without letting one bad hole affect the rest of the round.
Tate’s expectations for the rest of the season are focused on improvement and experience. He wants the younger players to continue developing while the seniors provide leadership. He believes the team has enough talent to win tournaments as the season continues, but the main goal is to improve throughout the fall and prepare for the spring championship season.
The team’s philosophy is centered around keeping its priorities in order: “Faith, Family, Education and Golf.”
Tate also emphasizes practicing with a purpose, having a daily goal and “winning the day.” His three main rules for the team are “to go to class, never be late and do what is expected.”
NGU’s next tournament is the Glassy Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 5 at Landrum. The tournament will give the young Trailblazers another opportunity to compete and continue building experience during the fall season.
