In the postseason – or perhaps in the days and weeks leading up to it – some coaches may be tempted to make sweeping changes in the name of readiness. Krystal Kelly is not that person. The veteran Santa Clara women’s golf coach has learned from those around her, particularly longtime Santa Clara head women’s soccer coach, Jerry Smith.
One thing about Smith’s view of the postseason resonated.
“The reality is we’re not changing the way we’re doing anything,” said Kelly, whose young Broncos team is playing the National Golf Invitational for the third consecutive year.
Kelly has coached her team to fifth- and third-place finishes at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Arizona, these past two years. After Friday’s first round, Santa Clara is 5 over and in second, two shots behind Eastern Michigan.
Eastern Michigan’s Angelica Holman is at the top of the individual leaderboard after a 3-under 69.
Scores: National Golf Invitational
A May tournament always feels special, Kelly said, because the opportunities are so limited. It’s the NCAA Championship or the National Golf Invitational. But even with a strong history at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes and an increasing amount of course knowledge, Kelly isn’t trying to throw some magic switch in the final stretch of the season.
“The reality is, we’re not training any different, we’re not prepping any different, our gameplan is still the same and I think that’s where a lot of people, they look at the postseason, they don’t play golf and they’re like, what do you do differently?”
Now in its third NGI appearance, Kelly likes the gameplan her team is following.
“Some putts dropped today and some didn’t,” she said, “but we’re also really young so it’s just a matter of building confidence with the younger players and getting them to buy into the process. Overall, we’re in a really good spot.”
Kelly brought three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior to Arizona. Freshman Proud Sriwongngam led scoring with a 2-under 70 that’s also a personal best for her this season. Her round included six birdies but also a double-bogey, and Kelly is particularly proud of the way Sriwongngam bounced back without letting that big number derail her day.
Sriwongngam has made five starts with the team this season and has never competed in the No. 1 spot. That changes on Saturday after earning the right to lead the lineup with her Friday play. Kelly hopes the freshman, a strong ballstriker with good distance, can embrace the opportunity and see what happens.
Youth was an important factor in Santa Clara getting back to the NGI this year.
“That was kind of my pitch to the AD of going this year, was hey we just need a little bit more experience, especially having three freshmen in the lineup,” Kelly said. “It’s obviously paying dividends.”
Junior Audrey Brust has played Ak-Chin Southern Dunes three times and sophomore Kelsey Kim finished in the top three here last year. Driving back from the West Coast Conference Championship (where Santa Clara was third) on April 19, Kelly’s team began asking if the NGI would be in the cards. Kelly told them she thought it would.
“They didn’t miss a beat. They said, ‘If we get in, we want to go.’”
The Santa Clara Athletic Director gave the green light and already this week, the men’s team, headed to an NCAA Regional in Reno, Nevada, on May 12-14, has sent messages of good luck. Clearly, there is much support for women’s golf at Santa Clara, and it’s one thing that allows the Broncos to continue to be competitive in a deepening sport.
Kelly, who played college golf at UCLA, looks at the creation of the NGI as “incredibly motivating.”
“The reality is women’s college golf has gotten so much better over the years and you have to be really good to make it to regionals,” Kelly said. “For us in particular, we’ve increased our scholarships over the last couple years . . . so to just build a team that is capable of getting to the postseason and having the opportunity to play is incredible.
“We’re hoping at some point we can make it to regionals.”
But first, Santa Clara has business to do. The NGI tournament concludes on Sunday, which not only happens to be Mother’s Day but also Kelly’s birthday. She’s already hoping to manifest something big.
“I put it in my notepad a couple days ago, we’re going to win the NGI,” she said. “That would be an incredible birthday and Mother’s Day.”
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