Pepperdine has been on a winning streak since April. The Waves won five out of six matches in their last six, and the most recent victory was on familiar ground.
Golfweek Red Sky Challenge was the team’s 2nd start and 2nd win this fall. Pepperdine won the title in its defense of the championship at the picturesque layout nestled in the mountains in Wolcott at more than 8,00 feet. This is the Waves’ fifth win in this tournament in 13 years.
Laurie Gibbs, head coach of the Red Sky team, said: “We are thrilled to begin our season with two wins in double digits.”
The core of Pepperdine, Lion Higo (left), Kaleiya Romaro (right), Lauren Gomez (left) and Jeneath Woong (right) all placed in the top twelve at Red Sky. KaYeekwok finished in the T-32. Pepperdine was ranked number one in the preseason rankings. Golfweek’s preseason ranking of 15 places Pepperdine at the top.
Gibbs, a Red Sky employee, predicted a thrilling year for the Waves – a year that was to come. Before Wong, an Australian talent, joined the Waves, Gibbs predicted that it would be an exciting year for them. She placed in the top 10 of the spring rankings four times.
Pepperdine, after winning the West Coast Conference Championships and the NCAA San Antonio Regional Championship, reached the national championship match, but lost a tight quarterfinal match to top-seeded Stanford.
The Waves were 18 under when Pepperdine won the tournament last year. In 2018, only UCLA had gone lower than 32 under in the event’s history. The Golfweek Red Sky Challenge will be reduced to 20 teams next year. With the introduction of the new.500 rule in women’s gol, it is possible that more top-25 teams make their way to the mountains.
Red Sky, a challenging yet rewarding course, showed its teeth with the help of weather conditions and slick and smooth greens.
Gibbs stated that the course was in excellent condition and greens were averaging 12.5 inches per second. The wind picked up in the middle of today’s round, and it became more difficult to hit greens. It was hard to be above the hole when putting downhill.
Alison Gastelum is a senior at New Mexico State. She loves Red Sky because of the challenge. Gastelum, a senior at New Mexico State University, won the individual title with 68 in the final round.
Alison Gastelum, New Mexico State (Golfweek photo)
She said, “It is unique because of its location and the way it plays compared to other courses.” It was more difficult than I remembered too. The greens are very, very fast but the course is in excellent condition too. So it was only a matter of putting and your short game.
Gastelum was the star of the show, with 13 birdies to his name. Gastelum was in competition with Central Arkansas’ Madison Holmes for the top spot all day. Holmes shot a hole-in one on the par-3 9th on her way to an overall score of 70. Gastelum, however, played the back nine at 2 under and overtook her by two shots.
Gastelum won his first college championship in the Golfweek Red Sky Challenge. She described it as a “dream realized.”
She said, “It was my first time at this course and I wanted to do it with my teammates.
Great job @alison_gastelum! Stay warm, I need you to compete in the Aggie Open on April 15th!! ! @NMStateWGolf @NMStateAggies https://t.co/HwIjD4Oxj5
— Mario Moccia (@MarioMocciaNMSU) September 28, 2023
New Mexico State had an eventful fall. They attended the Golfweek Fall Challenge at Pawley’s Island in South Carolina and the Badger Invitational held in Madison, Wisconsin. Gastelum struggled to improve her mental game and swing, and placed fifth in the team at each of these starts.
She said, “This is an extremely challenging sport, particularly mentally. I know how it works.” “I have been playing golf for five years so I understand how it works. I also know that you can sometimes have the worst rounds and other times you can have some of the best rounds in your life.”
Gastelum credits her victory to a more positive mentality and bringing what she had with her to Red Sky.
It’s hard to be negative when you have such a stunning backdrop.
