Building to This Point
Rams head to conference expecting more to follow
Mike Brohard
This feels different. Which was the idea years ago.
When Sofia Torres and Panchalika Arphamongkol came in as freshman to add to Andrea Bergsdottir, a course was set by design. A slow build, year by year, keep adding and then make the final scheduled tournament of the season carry meaning.
For two years, the Mountain West Championships represented the final outing of the season for Colorado State women’s golf. Last year, the team had faint hopes of advancing while a few individuals were ranked high enough for those three rounds to be a springboard to NCAA Regionals; Torres advanced.
Now, with that trio intact for one more final go, and a couple of strong recruiting classes which followed, Laura Cilek’s team entered today’s first round at Mission Hills Country Club with a legitimate shot of not only advancing but winning the first conference title in program history.
Different feels good.
“Sofie and I were talking about this since our freshman year. The first time at conference, before we graduate, we have to challenge for that title,” Arphamongkol said. “This was the year we were pretty much aiming for.”
San Jose State, ranked No. 26 nationally, is still the favorite. The Rams, ranked No. 52 with three tournament wins to their credit, are designed to be a threat for the next three days, but at the very least, earn an at-large invitational to regionals as a team for the first time since 2010.
Last year, the Rams finished third, the team’s best finish since 2018, with Torres advancing to the Westfield Regional, placing 24th with a 1-under 215.
As today’s first day of the Mountain West Championships began, the Rams entered with momentum. They had won two consecutive tournaments – the Tulane and Fresno State Classics – and after struggling for two days at the Chattanooga Classic, came back on a rainy third day and regrouped as a team to climb five spots in the field.
Celik knows her current roster is tested and poised.
“I think we’ve had that feeling a lot this year, which is different. We’ve gone into tournaments thinking we should win this,” she said. “Then they’ve risen to the pressure of that. They used to fold under that pressure -- like we need to go win this tournament, and then we have a really tight final round. At Chattanooga, that really showed how this team responds to pressure. They went out and shot 8-under on the hardest day of the tournament when it was pouring rain. I thought we looked tired in the first and second round, coming off winning two events. Their ability to come out and say, ‘OK, we have to get this done,’ has changed.”
No one needs to stress, because this isn’t the first time and we’re not going to put pressure on ourselves that we need to win this. We know how to win right now.Panchalika Arphamongkol
There is no question there has been a clear leader on the team this campaign, the graduate student Bergsdottir. What else can’t be questioned is the team is the sum of its parts.
In 27 rounds played this season, Bergsdottir has been the top Ram 17 times, winning two individual titles. But the other six players on the team have also had a round where they led or tied for the team lead.
Taking it further, in 11 of those 27 rounds, the top five players were all within five strokes of each other. Colorado State hasn’t had to rely on Bergsdottir being great every time out because the rest of the CSU field was carrying their part of the load.
Since the championship course remains the same, Arphamongkol believes the overall team strength will be an additional plus.
“We’ve played there for four years, and we know the course. We know what to do and what to prepare for,” she said. “I feel our team is really strong. Everybody is really strong with their games right now. For the five spots, it’s not going to be one plays bad and the other four play well, we think there will be five good scores and pick the best four. Nobody is going to carry the team.
“We know the feeling of both coming back from a few shots from behind and leading from the first day. No one needs to stress, because this isn’t the first time and we’re not going to put pressure on ourselves that we need to win this. We know how to win right now.”
Not just a change, but a key change, one freshman Kara Kaneshiro not only accepted but bolstered.
Recruiting as a coach, it’s not just about scores but fit. Kaneshiro’s approach felt like a key corner piece of the puzzle.
“She’s super competitive. She hates losing. She expects to be the best one on the team as a freshman,” Cilek said. “She’s never given the excuse she’s a freshman. I’ve probably given her more than that. There is a learning curve coming from junior golf. We had that conversation after the second round of Chattanooga. Every shot matters. You’re not on your own anymore.”
Kaneshiro never backed down, producing five rounds under par, including a pair of 67s when the Rams won the Ptarmigan Classic.
She also gladly accepted the advice the veterans provided, as well as the challenge they presented to make her a better player and the Rams a deeper squad.
“They keep pushing me to be better every day. I think our program is heading in a really good direction,” she said. “Going into spring, I was a bit more nervous because I knew we had to play well to keep our ranking up. We all have pretty high expectations going into conference, and I believe we all think we can win the tournament.
“They’re all very supportive, and even if I have a bad day, they’re there for me to talk about it. We’ll go back out the next day, try again and try to shoot a good score. They’re all super supportive. We’re all happy for each other if we have a good round.”
The season Arphamongkol waited for was one she almost missed. A broken arm in the offseason led to an original diagnosis she would miss the entire season. Disappointed, she was able to shrug off the setback knowing she could take a redshirt year and return to play with her younger sister, Pemika.
Then the arm started improving much quicker than expected, to the point where she actually toyed with the idea of playing a tournament before the holiday break. Instead, they program went with a cautious approach, waiting until the spring.
Good idea. It gave her time to shake off any rust, and she’s slotted in as the No. 2 in terms of stroke average behind Bergsdottir as she’s played in the past four tournaments. This run is one she’s thankful she didn’t have to miss.
“I was very excited. I feel like we’ve been so strong since fall, and we actually have a shot,” she said. “I’m really excited to be a part of this.”
Naturally, Cilek is about everything. The return of a top player, another top player taking off and a team which has grouped together and can shoulder the pressure of wanting to win.
Because there is some pressure this weekend. She just wants her team to use it as it has throughout the schedule.
“There is pressure on us this tournament. We’re at 52. Women’s golf, 54 will probably be the cutoff (for regionals),” she said. “To feel really good, if we’re at 54 or better, they know that. I think this is the year where they can come out and really execute. They’re confident.
“I think they can feel comfortable while having urgency on the line. It would be nice on the third day not to have to shoot 8-under to move up the leaderboard. I think their ability to come back and win a golf tournament and understand what winning is now is really big, combined with playing this course for four years.”
This just feels different. In this particular case, different is definitely good.