The golf season is underway for the University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s golf teams. As the teams continue their season, the head coaches are looking forward to what’s next.

Women’s Golf

The UW women’s golf team enters their 2023 campaign as one of the youngest programs in the UW Athletic Department and throughout the nation.

With one senior, Gia Feliciano, leading the way for UW, head coach Todd Oehrlein has seen various team members emerge in new roles. It starts with junior Carly Carter, a native of Eagle, Idaho and a returner for the cardinal and white, entering her third year in the program.

“Carly has taken a huge step right now this fall,” Oehrlein said. “She’s doing awesome. It’s funny, we only have the one senior, so the group looks young, and I guess it is. But, it’s not in experience.”

Carter led the way for the Badgers at the Cougar Classic, where the group ran into some troubles at times.

Within a tough pool of competition and the blazing heat of South Carolina, UW finished 16th out of 17 teams, but learned about their strengths and weaknesses along the way.

“Last week at the Cougar Classic, we did not have the finish that we wanted,” Oehrlein said. “Sometimes it’s a little deceiving because the field is so strong, but I don’t think we played as well as we were capable of.”

Despite this minor setback in a season opener, Oehrlein witnessed the potential and positive moments for his team. It starts with maintaining consistency and remaining positive through the growing pains of a young team.

The Cougar Classic provided some momentum and a vision for the upcoming home meet for the Badgers.

“It really didn’t discourage me,” Oehrlein said. “I still felt fairly optimistic coming home and feel optimistic about the rest of this fall. Saw plenty that we can build upon […].”

This trait translated to the Badger Invitational, Wisconsin’s annual home meet hosted at University Ridge Golf Course, a couple of miles off UW’s campus.

Performing through the rolling hills of the course, secluded from the traffic and the bustling streets of Dane County, the environment provides Oehrlein’s players with a quality setting to perform at their best.

“We do practice here,” Oehrlein said. “There’s no doubt about having a comfort at home, and a familiarity, which is great for lines and shots.”

Kate Brody, a true freshman out of Grand Blanc, Michigan, has emerged as one of the top performers for the Badgers early on in the season. She entered the university as a two-time state champion in high school, along with bringing an appearance in the USGA Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, California to the table.

The freshman has maintained the momentum early on in the season for UW, including shooting one-below-par over three days at the Badger Invitational, good for sixth place overall.

“She’s off to a great start,” Oehrlein said. “I’m excited for her and it doesn’t surprise me… I’m excited for what’s out in front for her and the rest of the girls.”

After a second place finish at the Badger Invitational, the squad has two more meets for the rest of the season, including a trip to University of Tennessee for the Collegiate Championships.

Oehrlein sees the potential with this group, as they continue to grow and evolve on the course for the remainder of the fall.

“I’d love to see a little more consistency, just getting more out of it everyday,” Oehrlein said. “I think that’s the biggest thing as the season moves forward. It’s just going to be a big focus point for us.”

Men’s Golf

A slow start summarized the beginning of the season for the University of Wisconsin men’s golf team, who settled for an 11th place finish out of 12 teams at the Marquette Intercollegiate.

Head coach Michael Wilson recognized this and looked toward the future for his group. The next week, they traveled south to the University of Tennessee to participate in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. An improved performance was the summary of the meet, where the Badgers placed within the top half of the competition.

“The Marquette Tournament was a disappointing start,” Wilson said. “We always have high expectations and didn’t have a great finish there. Pretty quick turnaround to go to Tennessee and finish in 7th within a really strong field. Proud of how the guys competed.”

The group saw growth within the play of senior Cameron Huss, a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Huss finished by shooting a 207 over the course of three days, finishing three-under on the day.

His performance led UW to a 16-over result as a team, improving from finishing 39-over at the Erin Hills Golf Course a week prior.

“He’s been All-Big Ten a couple of times,” Wilson said about Huss. “Won the Wisconsin State Open this summer, which was a big event for him. And then, he’s played well in the first two events and we lean on him a little bit.”

Fellow senior Coalter Smith was also mentioned as a name-to-know within this program, as the five-man team begins to come together midway through the season.

The Badgers return back home Oct. 1 to host the Badger Invitational at the aforementioned University Ridge Golf Course. Wilson has high hopes for his roster.

“It’s nice to get home for two weeks and kind of reset and go back to school, actually have a practice,” Wilson said, mentioning that practice time has been limited. “We will be qualifying to see who will play next week at Northwestern, and see who’ll play in the home event at University Ridge. Always the biggest event on the schedule for us.”

The future looks bright for the cardinal and white, who continue to round out the latter half of the season close to home.

This fall appears to be a quality stepping stone for many of the athletes, as they prepare for conference play and tournament action in the spring.

“You just want to be competing in the final groups in the final round to win,” Wilson said. “Hopefully, here at Northwestern [Windon Memorial Classic] and the Badger [Invitational], there could be more there with that final day and having a chance to win it.”