Colorado Women’s Golf Ready to Pick Up Where They Left Off as Spring Season Tees Off in Mexico
BOULDER - After a record-setting fall campaign, Colorado women’s golf isn’t easing into the spring-they’re hitting the ground swinging. Ranked No. 43 nationally, the Buffaloes head south of the border this week to open their spring schedule at the Collegiate Invitational, hosted at Guadalajara Country Club in Mexico on Jan. 30-31.
The Buffs are coming off a fall season that was nothing short of historic. They set a program-best fall stroke average of 73.29, captured a team title at the Ram Classic in Fort Collins, and followed that up with a runner-up finish at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Denver. Colorado wrapped up the fall slate with a strong showing at the Nanea Invitational in Hawai’i, tying for sixth in a competitive field.
Now, after nearly three months away from competition, the team is back in action and looking to carry that momentum into the spring. Practice officially resumed on Jan. 15, with the team wasting no time sharpening their game.
“It’s really good for our team to start competing right away,” said head coach Madeleine Sheils. “It sharpens our focus in practice and makes us make the absolute best out of every winter practice session, knowing we have a tournament coming up quickly.”
That urgency led the Buffs to a three-day training trip in Arizona earlier this month. The team spent two days at Grand Canyon University’s golf facility in Tempe, mixing morning practice sessions with afternoon rounds, including a scrimmage against the Lopes.
The trip wrapped up with a visit to Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, where they were hosted by CU Athletic Hall of Famers Gary Barnett and Bruce Gamble. The players soaked in the tour-level atmosphere while getting in a qualifying round on one of the premier tracks in the Southwest.
“It was a productive weekend,” Sheils said. “We feel really grateful we had the opportunity to do that and make sure we're getting ready for competition in the best way.”
The Collegiate Invitational won’t be a soft landing. The 12-team field features seven squads ranked in the top 50, including No.
19 Oklahoma State, the highest-ranked team in the event. Five Big 12 programs will be in the mix, adding a layer of familiarity and intensity to the competition.
Colorado’s lineup for Guadalajara includes Carolyn Fuller, Brenna Higgins, Ellen O'Shaughnessy, Maya McVey, and Vanessa Ngo-all of whom made noise in the fall. Each golfer posted at least one top-20 finish, multiple rounds under par, and at least one score in the 60s.
Fuller led the charge in the fall with a 72.14 stroke average and was Colorado’s low scorer over the final two events. Ngo wasn’t far behind, clocking in with a 72.45 average and contributing to the team score in 10 of 11 rounds-a team-best 90.9% rate. McVey and O’Shaughnessy were neck and neck all fall, separated by just two strokes over 14 rounds.
The Guadalajara Country Club will play as a par 72 at a maximum of 6,210 yards. The tournament format is a bit unconventional: 54 holes split over two days, with 27 holes played each day.
Friday’s action includes the full first round and the front nine of round two. Saturday wraps up the back nine of round two followed by the final round.
Sheils knows the course will demand precision and patience.
“We need to have a really great plan for attacking the golf course, because it’s quite narrow and difficult around the greens,” she said. “We need to go in with a smart plan and be committed to executing it throughout the weekend. And we also need to be patient with ourselves.”
That patience will be critical in the team’s first tournament back. As Sheils noted, the rust after a long layoff isn’t just physical-it’s mental. Staying locked in over long rounds and making sharp decisions under pressure will be key.
“We’ve been working a lot on our attention and our commitment when we’re playing,” Sheils added. “I think that continued focus will be a big key to our success.”
Colorado will tee off alongside No. 28 Florida State and No.
32 Houston for the first 27 holes, starting from the No. 1 tee at 7:45 a.m. MT on Friday.
With a deep, experienced lineup and a strong fall behind them, the Buffs are poised to make an early statement as spring golf gets underway.