Every golfer dreams about making the pilgrimage to St Andrews, Scotland — widely known as the “home of golf” — to drive, chip and putt in the footsteps of the sport’s all-time greats.
But the Bears aren’t just average everyday golfers. They didn’t just soak in history. They made it.
At the St Andrews Links Collegiate invitational, Cal women’s golf blew out the competition in two days of stroke play to advance to Wednesday’s match play against Princeton, during which the Bears secured a 4.5-1.5 victory over the Tigers.
The highlight of the competition for the Bears was junior Constance Fouillet’s championship performance, in which she broke the women’s Old Course record with a 9-under par 63.
“It was crazy, but it was such a great sensation,” Fouillet said of her play on Wednesday. “Honestly, I’m really grateful that I got to live all this. I can’t even put words on it right now.”
The first day of stroke play was an adjustment for Cal. The golfers acclimated to playing on the British Isles’ infamous links courses, which feature a more rugged terrain, unpredictable winds, firm fairways and deep, cruel bunkers.
“Obviously, the main (difference) is the bunkers,” Fouillet said. “(It’s) really different compared to any other course in California or any other part of Europe … Links golf always tests your ability to adapt.”
But the Bears adjusted well. Fouillet and sophomore teammate Claudia Lara Miravitlles both finished 2-under par with 70 — good enough for a fourth-place tie and two strokes short of the lead.
Miravitlles’ stellar day was accented when she sunk a 144-yard approach for eagle on hole 14, immediately dropping to the ground in disbelief at her own excellence.
Fellow Bears Adora Liu and Jasmine Kahler both made par, pushing Cal to a first-place tie with Princeton behind the University of St Andrews at 6-over par and Michigan State at 12-over par to round out the prestigious four-team pool at the end of the first day.
Cal found its groove on the second day of stroke play, shooting 5-under par as a team to take a 19-stroke lead over runner-up Princeton. Liu, whose 3-under par elevated her to fifth place in the individual competition, was a top performer right behind Miravitlles in fourth.
Kahler and freshman Michelle Woo tied for seventh at even par, which made four Bears in the top 10.
St Andrews junior Ellie Monk won the individual title on home turf at 7-under par, followed by her teammate Caitlin Maurice and Princeton’s Thanana Kotchasanmanee.
The peak of the excitement arrived on the final day of the event, when the blue and gold had a chance to take home the tournament’s silver bowl-shaped trophy on the legendary Old Course.
The format transitioned to medal match play, which saw the Bears going head-to-head against individual Tigers in the format of stroke play. The winner of each matchup at the end of 18 holes would earn one point for their team.
With the pressure on and golf history watching, Cal dominated.
Out of six matchups, Cal won four and tied one, giving the Bears a blowout victory with their 4.5 points to Princeton’s 1.5.
Woo and Kahler both won handily with matching five-stroke wins, but the story of the day was Fouillet’s record-breaking score of 9-under par 63. She scored better than any woman recorded before her in the course’s 473 year star-studded history.
Fouillet blazed through the front nine, clocking five birdies in a row on holes five through nine. When she finished the 10th hole with an eagle, though, the 19-year-old star from France began to feel the weight of history on her shoulders.
“After 10, I became actually aware of what was happening and how I had my chances to shoot a course record,” Fouillet said. “My heart was beating fast. My heartbeat was at its prime.”
Despite the stakes, Fouillet maintained her poise, tallying two more birdies in the final six holes. Her only bogie on the day came at hole 17, ‘The Road Hole,’ known to be one of the most diabolical in all of golf.
With the silver Scottish trophy making its way 5,000 miles to Bear Territory, Cal looks ahead to October, where it will add to its frequent flier miles on a trip to Hawaii for the annual Nanea Invitational. The Bears will look to continue the dominance they exhibited in golf’s homeland.
“This week … (we had) great team energy,” Fouillet said. “We need to carry that on to Nanea. Less results-focused, having fun … that’s how you play your best golf.”
