PLAY A HOLE w/ Bella & Reese McCauley

Follow along as we play a hole with Bella and Reese McCauley, sisters and members of the University of Minnesota women’s golf team. As we play a hole with Bella and Reese, we discuss the latest golf accolades they have accomplished — Bella McCauley recently qualified for the US Women’s Amateur, and Reese McCauley won the MGA Match Play Championship.

In this video, 2nd Swing’s Drew Mahowald joins to play a hole with Bella and Reese McCauley at Southview Country Club. While they play a hole, Bella and Reese share their experiences qualifying for the US Women’s Amateur and winning the Minnesota State Match Play Championship.

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Hey golfers, we’re at South View Country Club today on the eighth T- box joined by Bella and Reese McCauley. We’re going to play the eighth hole and we’re going to talk about all the recent accomplishments. Bell and Reese, let’s te off. Let’s do it. Let’s do it. [Music] Yes, queen. Perfect. Great t-shot. Thank you. I’ll take that. Better than the last one. H said better than the last one. Now I know why you’re annoying. That was actually a good That was actually a good shot. Now I’m like, okay, there. It’s good cart golf, [Music] but perfect. All right, let’s do it. All right, so first thing I want to talk to you guys about Minnesota match play. Last time we were chatting on the podcast. Reese said you you’re going to play in it. Um you ended up winning it. So did um talk to me about just that the experience. What was the format? And then how did you I guess how did you win it? What happened? Yeah. Yeah. Uh the first day was stroke play and so then uh top 16 make match play to the second day. Okay. And then there are four match play uh rounds if you go kind of like a bracket style. Yes, exactly. So 16 to 8, 8 to 4. Oh, sure. Four to two to one. What was the match play? How how was that different? Spring Hill also. Okay. At Spring Hill, that’s right. Yes. I love that course. Awesome. Um Yes. Amazing course. What was the match difference between match play and stroke play having dealing with now you obviously most of the golf you play is stroke play. What was it like to be in the match play format? Yeah, I actually love match play. I’ve like actually really enjoyed match play probably even more than stroke play. Um yeah, it just like is a whole another mindset. It’s really just only playing against one other person. So feels a little bit more relaxed in that sense. But then also like um yeah, just getting to play like headtohead with someone. It’s um yeah, it’s super fun. I just enjoy it a lot. So, um, yeah. And then had Bella on the bag. That’s right. I was gonna ask about that. So, you got to caddyy for Reese. What was that like for you? Yeah, it was so fun. I really enjoyed it. I think we play together all the time in the summer and obviously all the time growing up. So, I would say like majority of our rounds, like probably 80 90% of our rounds we play like we’re playing together. So, I know her game super well. I kind of know more so just like what she needs on the on the bag to keep her calm or talk through certain things, but for the most part just to keep her calm. I mean, she’s a great player and I just have to be there to support her. Yeah. Yeah. What was it like for you to have her on the back? It was actually really good. It was her first time ever catting for me. Wow. Um and so yeah, I didn’t know I was going to go, but yeah, it was actually super fun. You’ve chatted for me once before and it went really well, but I’ve never ced for you. And like we just figured that like we both know each other’s games and just each other super well, so we were like, “Hey, probably work out pretty well.” So, well, congratulations on the big win. That’s a pretty impressive victory. Thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, it was super fun. [Music] So, second shot here on the eighth hole. Talk to me about this shot here. Yeah, you actually missed a fairway. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Yeah, we missed a fairway by a little bit. Um, this hole is actually, I would say, one of the tougher ones on the course. Just more so for the green. I honestly don’t love the look of this shot. I’m going to have to aim quite a bit left and then hopefully it kind of comes down a little bit off the slopes. Um, the green all slopes left to right. So hopefully we can just get it up there and either a two putt or up and down. Yeah, that was a good shot. That slope is there. Oh, I saw a big that might be long, but it was good. It like kicks straight, right? The hole smooth out of the rough. Let’s see what Reese has split the fairway here. So, for your shot here, Ree, coming up, you’re probably thinking similarly where you’re going to try to play a little left and have slope up there to the right. Yes, exactly. Yeah, the whole like fairway and green and everything slopes hard left to right. Yeah, this is kind of a crazy slope in front of us cuz we can’t even see the hole. Yeah, I kind of have to go up here. Honestly, a lot of styles use this way. It’s very hilly. It’s actually really good for just It’s a really good course to play at and practice at cuz you get good hitting fairways and needing to hit your spots on greens. Well, I imagine when you travel for bigger events, too, the slopes that you face, you know, they’re they’re a lot bigger most of the time than what we get in Minnesota. So, to have these here is kind of nice. Oh, totally. Yeah, bunch of courses we play. Um, especially out out west if we ever get out there, I’ll be playing abandoned dunes for the USA. I think it’ll be it’ll I mean, this is nothing compared to Bandon in terms of hills, but it’ll still be it’s still more similar than a lot of other courses in the state like this. So, all right, this is like 13. Okay, four playing 139. It’s front pin, so I’m going to try to uh go a little bit longer. Play a little longer. You see her on the green, middle of the green. Yeah, exactly. I taught her that. She actually did when she was catting for me. That looks like a good shot. That’s really good. It’ll be good. Might be a little short. It’s a good shot, though. So, next piece of conversation, it’s got to be the US women’s am qualifier. That actually just happened this week. So, you guys both played. Yeah. um at Indian Hills and obviously Bella will go with you first because you qualified. You you went through there was one of one of two spots you earned. Yeah. Um so what’s the excitement level now that you get to go out and play the the US women’s amitter at Bandon? That’s got to be crazy. That’s one of those we were talking about in the office how you’ve now played Augusta National and then you get to go to Bandon. That’s kind of like you’re checking off a lot of bucket list there. Yeah. No, I I feel so blessed. Honestly, I was kind of thinking about it this year or just like yesterday and thinking just I feel so lucky to be able to played so many great courses this year between Anwa and Palmer Cup and now USAM, but also just like our college season events have been had like such a great schedule as well. So, I feel so lucky. It’s been a really cool year. And um it’s going to be really fun to end out the summer at Bandon. And so, the other piece of this is Reese, you guys actually shot the same score. Yes. And then there was a playoff between you two and two others for that last spot. So what was the like dynamic like knowing one of the competitors for that playoff spot was, you know, your sister. Is that like is it kind of like, hey, I just I want one of us to to make it, right? Or are you just kind of going in there? Nothing about your mindset changes. I just need to get this get this spot or get this birdie or whatever it is. Um, yeah. I’d say like a little bit of both. I’d say like I mean like I obviously wanted either one of us like to go, but I mean like I was definitely trying to make a birdie, right? Um but yeah, I feel like I was like playing pretty well honestly throughout even like the playoff hold, but just the putts didn’t drop. So um but yeah, I’m like super thrilled for Bell and she gets to go and um yeah, we’ll see if an opens up. Both of you guys played clutch. Yeah, cuz you’re an alternate or you have an alternate spot. So both of you guys played clutch golf coming down the stretch. You had a three under back nine to come back and shoot even and then you birdied the last hole to shoot even. So you guys watching the leaderboard, either one of you, or were you just kind of like I’m just going to make play the best golf I can and whatever happens happens. Uh my caddy was watching the leaderboard. I was not uh I knew where I was at. I like bogeied 16 so I knew I needed to to birdie 17 or 18 to get to. So I birded 18 to like force the playoff. And then in the playoff it like you said there were four of us. Um and I honestly honestly I was like kind of just happy to be in the playoff but then ended up grading the second hole or second hole to get in. Okay. Um and then honestly though like I was like I would have been super happy if either one of us got in. Like it was kind of like it’s always like a little a little weird like playing in like a playoff against you just cuz like I want both of us to make it. Um but honestly I was like really happy for either of us. I was really rooting for either of us to get in and it was going to be fun either way. Yeah. Well, we wish you the best of luck at the US Boom Museum. Um and then what I’ll let you do as well. You guys can finish putting up the hole here. You got a couple of maybe a birdie putt. You got a par save to make. Let’s do it. Perfect. [Music] Oh, that’s pretty good. It’s a good shot from there. Thank you. Yeah, good trip. Okay, good. Thank you. That’s a good par. Thank you. I’ll take it on this hole. I will take it. Yeah, good par and the par save. Well, one last time, uh, I’ll say Reese, congratulations on winning the Minnesota State Max play. And Bella, congrats on the US women’s qualifier and we wish you good luck there as well. Thank you. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]