The Gold Rush

SPOKANE, Wash.--After more than two and a half months without a tournament, the Gonzaga University women's golf team is ready to get the spring season underway.

It's been a light schedule since November competition-wise as Gonzaga last competed at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown Oct. 25-27, but all six Bulldogs wintered in warm-weather climates and were able to practice throughout the break. Once school resumed in mid-January, the squad got together for 20-hour days and covered everything from following through to pre-shot planning. All the preparation and practice swings have the Zags ready to experience the real thing.

"We've been practicing hard together for five weeks now, and everyone's ready to go play in a tournament," said Gonzaga women's golf head coach Brad Rickel. "We've been slowly working on all the basics in golf, the things everyone has to do right. All of the things that are necessary for a good round: the physical, mental, and emotional parts of golf."

Rickel is excited to see all of that hard work pay off. During the first few tournaments - and especially at The Gold Rush, which runs Monday, Feb. 22 and Tuesday, Feb. 23 - he wants to see how everyone attacks the mental aspect of the game and how well the players fight for every stroke.

"I want to see great competitive spirit," Rickel said. "I want to see their ability to get up-and-down , and I want to see everybody go through their routines - pre-shot routines, pre-round routines - and stay consistent in how they go about their business and ease themselves back into tournament golf."

While it can be tough to find courses in the Spokane area that are open this late in the winter season for some real golf experience, the Bulldogs have been able to get down to the Tri-Cities for live rounds. Each round has grown progressively more serious, with the last couple becoming mock tournaments. Rickel is encouraged by everyone's games currently, and he thinks the most tenured Zag is getting better as the spring season progresses.

"Raychelle Santos is playing great golf," Rickel said of Gonzaga's lone four-year senior. "She has been a great player for us for four years and really like she's going in the right direction right now." Santos led Gonzaga at its last tournament, the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown with three straight rounds at or below par. Her 1-under 215 is the Zags' lowest tournament score on the year in terms of total strokes and second lowest in relation to par.

One player who seems to be committing to the competitive spirit Rickel wants to see is junior Ciera Min. "Ciera is always going to fight to shoot the lowest round she can every day." And low rounds she frequently shoots as she's been at or below par four times this season. Her round of 70 (-3) during the third round of the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational is tied for the team's lowest score in relation to par and second-lowest in terms of stroke total.

Two freshmen shot at or below par during five rounds during the fall as Bianca Pagdanganan leads the team with a 72.22 stroke average while Jena Gao has shot par or better at least once during each of the last three tournaments. Pagdanganan has Gonzaga's best individual performance, winning the prestigious Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in October at Sahalee Country Club.

After a bit of a rough fall season, sophomore Dania Uy is bouncing back nicely, according to Rickel. "Dania seems to be finding her game right now and learning how to score again." She tallied two rounds at par during the fall.

Senior Michelle Condry rounds out the lineup. Despite playing in only two tournaments in the fall, Condry brings some veteran experience. Her lowest round of the fall came during the third round of the Dick McGuire Invite, where she shot even-par 73.

Overall, Rickel is excited about the level of talent the Zags are bringing into the championship season. "On any given day, any one of our kids could be our best player. It's a good thing we're making sure everyone is going in the right direction."

Rickel is also excited about the spring schedule and how it lays out for the Bulldogs. They'll return to three tournaments they've attended in the past - The Gold Rush, the Bay Area Intercollegiate, and the Dr. Donnis Thompson Memorial - and they'll face some stiff competition during all four spring contests. Most importantly, Rickel is excited about having a week off between each tournament, giving the Zags time work ahead in school and work on their games before heading back out to play competitive rounds.

"First and foremost, those 10 days off mean our players won't be stressed about school while we're at our tournaments," he said. "Having back-to-backs puts a big stress on them that a week in between can mitigate. Second, we'll have time to relax and then time to work on what our weakness were at the last tournament. We'll also have time to qualify, which means we'll figure out who's hot that week. It's just really nice having time to get better in between tournaments."

The Bulldogs get the 2016 spring schedule underway Feb. 22 with the first two rounds of The Gold Rush, hosted by Long Beach State. The first round shotgun will sound at 8:00 a.m. Monday on Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach, Calif.