2009-10 Season Review

Consistency and significant contributions from newcomers defined a 2009-10 campaign that shed light on a promising future for the BYU women’s golf team.

“The future is bright for this team,” said interim head coach Robbie Bosco. “The girls did very well and improved every week.”

Two top-15 finishers highlighted the Mountain West Conference Championships for a team that recorded three top-10 finishes during the 2009-10 season. Sophomore Maggie Yuan tied for fourth place at +11 while freshman Kelsey Vines tied for 12th place at 15-over. Junior Jade Bollinger, the two-time National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Scholar Athlete posted the third-best Cougar score overall at +30 to place 30th. Senior Shayla Forsey and freshman Amanda Keith both carded 82s in the final round with Forsey concluding the event in 32nd place at +35 and Keith placing 35th at +42.

Multiple Cougars continued their success in the classroom with postseason academic accolades. Three golfers were named to the Spring 2010 Academic All-MWC team, headed by Bollinger, who earned her third-consecutive honor. Junior Emily Copier, a Weber State transfer, was awarded her second honor in as many years, while Forsey picked up her first Academic All-MWC award.

Bollinger, a general business major, and Copier, who is studying leisure services management, both received MWC Scholar-Athlete awards as well as being named to the 2010 NGCA Division I All-American Scholar Team.

Copier and Vines led the charge at BYU’s first outing of the 2009-10 season, the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic in Fort Collins, Colo. Vines was the top Cougar finisher in the event, finishing tied for 29th overall with an overall score of 5-over-par (71-74-76--221). Vines posted seven birdies and 12 bogeys in 54 holes in her first appearance as a Cougar while Copier finished tied for 49th in her first tournament as a Cougar. Her third round featured three birdies and a 2-under showing on the front nine en route to a 10-over 226 tournament total.

The Cougars continued to build momentum in the second week of the fall season at the Napa River Grill Cardinal Cup in Louisville, Kent. Behind a career-best fifth-place finish by junior Jade Bollinger, the Cougars posted a sixth-place finish, with two other golfers joining Bollinger in the top 12. Yuan, a team co-captain, and Vines both tied for 11th place at 8-over-par.

After the resignation of eight-year head coach Sue Nyhus after fall competition, Bosco, who served as the interim head coach, led the Cougars to two top-10 team finishes during the 2010 spring schedule. Among those finishes was the Cougars’ eighth place effort at the Mountain View Collegiate, where they shot a three-round 26-over-par 909.

“The girls adjusted really well to having a new coach,” Bosco said. “We were able to get right into practices and the season and perform really well.”

Yuan and Vines, who were first and second respectively in stroke average for the Cougars, sparked the youth movement for the Cougars. Yuan finished with a 75.83 average in her 10 tournament appearances, while Vines recorded a 76.83 average. Vines’ best finish came in the fall at the Napa River Grill Cardinal Cup where she shot 77-72-75 with an 8-over 224 total score.

Yuan won her first career individual title at the BYU at Entrada Classic, shooting a career-low 64 in her first round to finish with a 2-under 214 tournament total and her first of two top-five finishes.

“Maggie (Yuan) did really well at Entrada and it was awesome to be a part of,” Bosco said. “She continued to step up and play well as our number one golfer.”

Forsey, one of only two seniors rostered for the Cougars, provided important leadership in her final year at BYU. A four-year contributor for the Cougars, Forsey finished her career with a 32nd place finish at the MWC Championships and a season-low round score of 72 at the Mountain View Collegiate. Forsey leaves BYU with an 80.89 stroke average and a career-low round of 71 as a junior.

The Cougars finished 2010 with back-to-back top-10 finishes, including a season-best fifth-place finish at the BYU at Entrada Classic. BYU maintained its fifth-place standing going into the final 18 holes, scoring 313 for a three-round 65-over-par 929 total score, with Bollinger and Vines both placing in the top-30 to go along with Yuan’s individual title.

“These girls took every chance they had to get better,” Bosco said. “It was a great opportunity for me to witness their work ethic and dedication.”