Tommy Baker is referring to the postseason, with only one remaining tournament in the regular season.
The Dukes’ head women’s golf coach stated that “if you don’t think about it”, you aren’t building a program in a positive direction. The players understood the importance of competing every week starting in February. “If we win, there’s a chance.” I said this to a few of them.
Baker’s players are close to winning, with the exception of a second-place finish at UNC Wilmington’s River Landing Classic on February 14. They won the OysterShuck Match Play to kick off the spring, and they won again Wednesday at the Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday Intercollegiate.
Caledonia Golf Club, Pawley’s Island in South Carolina places a high value on placement. James Madison’s strategy for the Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday event consisted of putting the ball in the right spots, and attacking the holes that require it. Sometimes, the best play was to move away from holes.
Baker stated, “Coming to that sometimes is hard at this age but the girls did an extraordinary job,”
James Madison took control of the game when he came in, playing 36 holes in three over. The Dukes finished the week at 10 over and won by 17 shots over North Carolina-Greensboro.
James Madison received a huge boost from Kendall Turner who placed solo second at 1 over and Kate Owens who tied for third just two shots behind. This is Turner’s fourth consecutive top-3 result.
Baker stated, “She’s very close to breaking through, and I reminded him after the round that the challenge now was to be patient and continue trusting what we have worked on and keep moving ahead,” Baker added, “because her time will come, and it’s going at a great moment.”
Sara Sarrion, from Coastal Carolina, won the individual title at Caledonia by winning with her 5-under total.
Baker described Baker’s team’s approach at Caledonia as “business-like”. Two weeks prior to arriving at the Golfweek event in Wilmington, the Dukes held the lead going into round three. The final round of 16-over304 gave Wilmington the advantage by three shots.
James Madison let a few things slip down the stretch – a three-putt there, a missed opportunity here. The Dukes are used to situations in which they need a par save of four or five feet. Baker believes that nerves may have been a contributing factor to some unusual misses at River Landing.
Baker stated, “That was a difficult, painful experience for girls, and after that, we met and talked about it. We also made sure that all we do moving forward toward the conference championship.”
James Madison will be competing in the Sun Belt Championship for the first time this spring. The Dukes won the CAA Championship two years ago to qualify for NCAA regionals. The team came back from 16 shots behind to win the conference title.
Now, at No. James Madison, at No. 75 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings is currently hovering just above the bubble to be considered for a large selection into regional play. Every win is important.
Baker stated, “Of course we know that if we win conference we move on but we set a high bar for winning every event this spring.” Baker said, “That sets the standard where players know the goal. We have many players who love plans. They’ll do well if they can create a plan to accomplish that goal.
Baker, who arrived at James Madison in 2018, was ranked No. Golfweek ranked Baker at James Madison in 2018. Baker has had a wild ride as he has expanded his recruiting strategy and put his stamp on the Dukes program. That momentum would be maintained by another NCAA berth.
He said that “Right now, it’s great” and “I think the future will get even better.”
