Seniors Joanne Lee and Daniela Holmqvist nailed two poised shots to seal Cal’s victory this weekend in Pullman, Wash. Lee birdied on the 18th hole to break the tie, and Holmqvist’s par sealed the title for the Bears.

Cal had a strong lead through most of the final round, staying a few strokes ahead of second-place Colorado before the Trojans began their streak. USC had five birdies in just two holes, jumping the Buffs to move into second place.

The Bears proved they have the composure to execute at their best in late situations. Cal lost momentum after bogeys by Holmqvist and junior Jackie Williams dropped Cal into a tie. But the squad came back strong and closed out its most important win of the season.

Much of the victory’s relevance resides in the difficulty of the match. Coming in, eight of the eleven teams in the Pac-12 were ranked in the top 25 in the nation.

The Bears proved their worth among the heavyweights of women’s golf as a team while earning recognition for their key players individually. Lee and Holmqvist, who helped close out USC for the win, each finished in the top five.

Lee ended the tournament fourth with a three-over 219, and Holmqvist finished one stroke back at four-over 220.

Each of Cal’s five players finished in the top 50, as the Bears earned an automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional. The Bears will head to Erie, Colo. from May 10-12 for their 13th consecutive Regional bid.

If Cal finishes in the top eight at regionals, they will advance to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. The Bears finished 12th at last year’s NCAA Championships.

The Cal men’s golf team won its first Pac-12 Championship on Sunday.

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Sorenstam’s rise to fame, and the ensuing success, are motivators for Holmqvist’s career. Sorenstam ascended to No. 1 in the world, and by the time of her retirement was known as one of the greatest female golfers ever. Her beginnings and triumphs gave Holmqvist a reason to continue the sport. After nearly 20 years of golf, Holmqvist has never once thought about hanging up her golf bag.

“I think (I never thought about quitting) because of Annika Sorenstam coming from Sweden, and all that she’s accomplished, and just growing up with that,” Holmqvist says.

Holmqvist was born in Switzerland, but traveled through Europe with her family until the age of five before settling in Sweden. She lived in many countries, including Italy and Germany, constantly relocating with her father, who was a professional soccer player.

A lot of (my) athletic drive comes from being with my dad for so many years, and seeing how professional life is, and seeing the amount of pressure, the joy, and things like that,” Holmqvist says.

Holmqvist played her father’s game at an early age, and received much guidance from him about the trials of being a professional athlete.

Despite this close connection to the world’s most popular sport, Holmqvist always remained devoted to golf partially because of her grandfather.

He was a professional golfer from Sweden, and is a Senior European Champion.

She began to play in tournaments at the age of 10, competing against future professionals such as Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist, who both skipped college in favor of becoming professional golfers. Holmqvist has always valued education, and decided to move to the United States after high school, enrolling at Tulane University before transferring to Cal after one year.

“I played OK my freshman year, but then at the end I started playing well,” Holmqvist says. “I won conference individually by 10 strokes, and then went back home and won a professional event as an amateur. So then I had more options to go to a better school, and Cal’s always been my dream school.”

Holmqvist enjoyed her time at Tulane, but she wanted to go somewhere that had a larger program, and one that would let her grow as a golfer. Though there are many schools that have reputable golf programs, Holmqvist wanted a place that would let her focus on her academics at the same time.

At Cal, Holmqvist has continued to excel, earning Pac-10 second team and Pac-10 All Academic second team honors. Despite these feats, she was not satisfied with what she had done and strove to reach her goal of becoming a professional golfer.

This past summer, Holmqvist competed in many professional tournaments as an amateur, and was selected to play in The Spirit, a tournament for the top 80 amateur players in the world. She received praise after her selection, but Holmqvist had her eyes set on achieving the highest rank she could. Last month at the tournament, she played some of the best golf of her life, finishing in the top 10 individually, and leading Sweden to ninth place overall.

Outside of Cal, and even the United States, Holmqvist has been continuing to play at a high level, something she was rewarded for earlier this year. Holmqvist was selected to be on the Sweden National team, for which she hopes to compete in the coming year.

“Playing for Cal is an incredible honor, but there’s something special about putting on the national team jersey,” Holmqvist says. “You are representing so many people.”

With the team, Holmqvist crossed paths with her idol Sorenstam. When they met, she was thrilled, but  not starstruck. It wasn’t a fan encountering a legend; it was two golfers meeting.  Holmqvist knows that she can be a great golfer, and expects to keep seeing Sorenstam with the national team, even though she is still an amateur.

Before following Sorenstam’s footsteps into the LPGA as a professional, Holmqvist must go through qualifying school. The rigorous process involves participating in various tournaments, and trying to place as high as possible in all of them. Once Holmqvist wins or places in a certain number of tournaments as an amateur, she will be able to declare herself as a professional female golfer.

Holmqvist’s play has led many people, such as Katarina Wangdal, Holmqvist’s head coach on the Swedish National team, to believe that she can be successful professional. Holmqvist has been meeting and practicing with the team every month or so, and played with the rest of her teammates at The Spirit.

“We were really impressed with her ball striking and swing (at the Spirit), you can both see and hear the exceptional ball contact,” Wangdal said. “Daniela has a lot of characteristics and necessary components that (are) crucial in order to take the next step. She has good foundations, good discipline when it come to practice and has the rare ability to play her best when under a lot of pressure.”

For Holmqvist, this is just the beginning. She has dreamed of becoming a professional for as long as she remembers, and her motivation to do so is completely unwavering.

“You know, everyone talks about (giving up), but I’ve never really felt that before,” Holmqvist says. “Every day I wake up and I want to be the best golfer that I can.”

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Cal finished the first round in 11th place and fell to 13th after the second round. The tournament, which featured some of the top ranked teams in the country, was won by Alabama. The Crimson Tide finished with a score of one-over 865, ending with a four stroke lead over UCLA. The Bears finished at 37-over 901.

“I know 16th place sounds bad, but this is the toughest competition we’ll face all year,” coach Nancy McDaniel said. “So I wouldn’t say we are disappointed, I just think it’s time for the fall season to come to an end.”

Cal did not have any players in the top 20 of the tournament, but senior Joanne Lee was the team’s top scorer, finishing with a four-over 220, good for 24th place overall. No other Cal player finished in the top 50 of the tournament. McDaniel’s squad has had a very underwhelming first half of the season, something she attributes to the lack of rhythm her team has experienced in its play.

“So far, we haven’t gotten in to any type of groove,” McDaniel said. “In golf, you really have to get on a roll, and then everything starts falling into place.”

The team’s inconsistency and inability to close out rounds and tournaments have been large parts of its lack of success this season. McDaniel said her three seniors need to step up late in rounds.

Seniors Daniela Holmqvist, Emily Childs and Joanne Lee, who began the season strong, have cooled off from their hot start. The team needs them to show their leadership in the spring, when tournaments become more important and the National Championships roll around.

“I really thought the seniors would come to the party and show their leadership and experience this fall,” McDaniel said. “They’re three great players, and we need them to be our core.”

Although the seniors need to set the pace when the season restarts in February, McDaniel knows the lineup may be different at that point, given the way things have been going for the Bears.

The team will work on many of the players’ individual weaknesses, but there is one thing in specific that McDaniel wants to work on for everyone: putting.

“I really want us to be good putters, but we have over three months until our next tournament, so we may change things around because we can’t keep playing like this,” McDaniel said. “Right now, we are stuck in mediocrity.”

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The SEC/Pac-12 Challenge was introduced last year to the Stanford Golf Course because of the high level of play of both conferences. The tournament heads to the SEC this year to the Holston Hills Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn., and highlights teams such as UCLA, USC, Alabama, LSU and Stanford.

“This is a major tournament for us, because it really sets the ranking for when we come back in the spring,” coach Nancy McDaniel said. “It also lets us put into play what we have been practicing.”

After the Bears’ recent disappointing third place finish at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, McDaniel and her team worked hard on improving one main aspect of the game that cost it a victory previously.

“We have really been working on closing out our rounds,” McDaniel said. “Here, the last four holes of each round are going to be crucial for us.”

All of the players had trouble closing out their rounds at Cal’s last tournament, with three players hitting the ball into the bunker on the last hole. McDaniel resolved to address the varying issues plaguing the team, which she said included just about every aspect of the game.

That includes the short game, something the Bears have prided themselves on, not just this year but also in years past. Last year, the Bears ranked No. 1 in their short game, which includes the more minor parts of the game such as chipping and putting.

“It’s really about staying focused and playing well, and finishing the season out on a strong note,” senior Joanne Lee said.

Lee was Cal’s top performer at its last tournament, finishing fifth overall. This is Lee’s last season competing for Cal, and she knows the importance of this tournament.

“We have a rivalry with the other teams in the Pac-12, even though its supposed to be with the SEC,” Lee said. “These are basically the best teams, so we just have to play our best.”

Finishing tournaments, or even rounds, has not been the Bears’ strength this year, which is a big reason for the extra training and practice that went into this tournament.

McDaniel knows that if her squad performs well at this tournament, it could very well change the dynamic of the season, both in terms of rankings and confidence.

“After this, we have a long layoff so that they can be normal students and focus and their academics and rest,” McDaniel said. “Before that, though, we really want to end this fall season the right way, because we are a better team than we have shown.”

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A few hours later, the Bears walked away from the course tied for third place with host Washington, finishing behind Oregon and Colorado, allowing a winnable tournament slip away against middling opponents. Not only did the Bears lose the tournament, they lost the progress they had been making in practice since their last tournament.

“We’re really disappointed with this,” coach Nancy McDaniel said. “We need to pick up our game because where we are right now, it is not very fun.”

Cal entered the final day of the tournament tied for first place with Colorado, but finished with a 36-over 900, four strokes back of the Buffaloes, who shot an 896. The third round of the tournament was the worst of the three for the team and for the players individually.

Each player on the team shot her worst or second worst round on the final day of the tournament, showing that the Bears need to improve their ability to finish strong.

“I thought the whole tournament was mediocre golf for us, but we really collapsed at the end there,” McDaniel said.

On the last hole of the tournament, three Cal players hit shots into the bunker, putting the team out of contention of winning the tournament.

Although the players and coaches were disappointed with the team’s performance and outcome, three Bears finished in the top 10 in individual scores. Joanne Lee, who led the Bears in scoring the first two rounds, came in fifth overall with a seven-over 223. Lee was fourth overall after two rounds, but ended up falling short to Cassy Isagawa of Oregon, Jennifer Yang of Washington, Alex Stewart of Colorado and winner Madeleine Sheils of Nebraska.

Emily Childs, the third place overall finisher at last year’s tournament, finished a stroke behind Lee at six-over par. Along with Lee and Childs, Nicola Roessler was the last of the Bears in the top 10, tying for eighth place.

McDaniel plans on working extensively on all aspects of the game, even one that Cal has been excelling in so far this season: putting and chipping. The short game at this tournament was subpar and McDaniel knows that it needs to improve. This is one of many parts of the game the team needs to work on, but all of these boil down to one thing.

“Practice. We need to keep practicing, practicing, and practicing,” McDaniel said. “We need to work on our game, of course, but we need to be more competitive at our practices.”

Practice will, indeed, be very important as time goes forward, since the Bears have a tough tournament coming up in the Pac-12/SEC Challenge in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct 21-23.

“It’s only going to get harder from here on out,” McDaniel said. “But we want to go into tournaments playing confidently and closing out the right way.”

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The No. 15 Cal women’s golf team will be looking to go one better with a three-peat when it tees off at the Edean Ihlandfeldt Invitational in Sammamish, Wash., beginning on Monday.

The Bears’ main competition at the Sahalee Country Club will come from Idaho, San Jose State and host Washington. Tee times will be at 9 a.m. on Monday, 10 a.m. on Tuesday and 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

The field of teams at the invitational is not as strong as those at last weekend’s Mason Rudolph Fall Preview, where Cal finished 10th.

Washington won its first tournament since 2005 last month at the WSU Cougar Cup, and will be looking to continue its play on its home turf.

Likewise, after its third place finish at the same tournament, Idaho looks to continue its performance of late.

Although the Bears will face tough competition, three of last year’s top five finishers — Stanford, Pepperdine and San Francisco — will not be participating this year.

Even though these top-five finishers will not be returning, both of Cal’s top individual performers are still competing. The lineup, which is unchanged from the previous two tournaments, includes Emily Childs, who had a  standout performance at the Edean Ihlandfeldt invite last season.

In last year’s tournament, Childs was in sole possession of first going into the last round and finished with a two-under 70. She went on to claim the individualist medal with a ten-under par.

Along with Childs, seniors Joanne Lee and Daniela Holmqvist look to provide the guidance and support the team has needed all year in terms of mental strength and consistency on the course. Lee also finished in the top 10 of last year’s tournament with a fourth-place tie and a seven-over par.

With thinner competition, the Bears would like use this year’s tournament to get on track for the rest of the year.

Last year, Cal entered ranked No. 17, won the tournament and moved up 10 places.

After two inconsistent tournaments for the Bears, the Edean Ihlandfeldt tournament could be a great opportunity for the squad to bounce back and make great progress in a tournament in which it is accustomed to success.

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In their first two tournaments, the Bears finished fifth and 10th, but look to improve before the national championships in May.

“This is a top 10 team,” McDaniel said. “Once you’re in the top 10, it’s really anybody’s game.”

As seniors, Pia Halbig and Andrea Waters led the Bears to a 12th place finish in last year’s NCAA Championships. Halbig leaves an obvious hole in terms of leadership and scoring.

Senior Daniela Holmqvist has stepped up after a stellar summer of golf. Holmqvist won a small men’s tournament, as well as competing in many amateur tournaments.

Along with Holmqvist, Emily Childs and Joanne Lee are key seniors who look to fill the void.

The team has the luxury of having three reserve players, all of whom gain much experience and provide a safety net in case of injuries.

“I think it shows how deep we are as a team, to have eight players, and only travel with five,” McDaniel said.

This depth is something McDaniel looks to use to her advantage in coming tournaments. She holds her players accountable for their own progress, letting the scores — not her personal feeling — determine who starts.

“The players are in complete control of who earns each spot on the roster,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel’s use of scores and performance to make the lineup allows for the whole team to have a chance at playing, and also ensures that players will keep circulating through the lineup during the course of the season.

The Bears’ schedule is set up so that all competitive tournaments are spread out through the course of the year. Even with this, in a sport that is always in season, much of the outcome depends on endurance, stamina and health at the end of the year.

While the NCAA Championships don’t roll around until May, Cal knows that its current matches count heavily for ranking, and knows it must improve in certain aspects of the game.

“Mental toughness,” McDaniel said. “The most important thing for us is to stay in the present. It really comes down to how organized we are and how much energy we have left in late April and early May.”

Staying in the zone may seem like an easy task, but both the players and the coaches know that, on the golf course, getting ahead of themselves can happen all too quickly.

“They’ve all had playing experience, that’s why they’re here,” McDaniel said. “They know how to play under pressure, but we want to get them organized.”

McDaniel wants the team to stay in the present, but she also acknowledges the tough road ahead, and more importantly, some key tournaments, such as the Pac 12/SEC Challenge next month in Knoxville, Tenn.

The team looks to respond positively after a 10th place finish at the Mason Rudolph Fall Preview, which was held at the Legends Club North Course, the site of this year’s NCAA Championships.

“We’re comfortable with the course,” McDaniel said. “When we’re back there, we’ll be confident we can compete.”

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“We came out playing flat,” coach Nancy McDaniel said. “When we are playing against the top teams in the nation, we need to be able to play three rounds of golf.”

The Bears finished 10^th out of 18 at the tournament in Franklin, Tenn. Cal competed against much-heralded competitors such as Alabama, Virginia and Vanderbilt, but the team title was eventually won by UCLA. The tournament was held at the Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course, the site of this year’s NCAA Championships.

“I think we showed that we can stack up against the top teams, as long as we all play together,” McDaniel said.

There were many great individual performances, but the team could not find any consistency or continuity in its play. Senior Emily Childs finished the third round with a one-under 71, but did not experience the same success in the previous rounds. Joanne Lee, on the other hand, finished the second round at par, but shot a combined 12-over in the other rounds.

Even with their inconsistency, McDaniel found hope in her players while their brilliance lasted.

“Emily and Joanne gave us a lot of confidence that we could really compete,” McDaniel said.

As a team, the Bears finished with a score of 893, which put them at +29 for the tournament. The player with the lowest score, senior Daniela Holmqvist, finished tied for 16^th.

As a team, Cal improved 16 strokes from its first round total to its second, from a 306 to a 290.

All in all, the team felt satisfied coming out of the tournament since it was able to do part of what it set out to, which was to gain familiarity with the course, where it hopes to compete in the spring.

“We felt that getting a feel for the course was really important, and it’s good that we have played here now, and we know what to expect for next time,” McDaniel said.

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“We’re going in there to compete, number one,” coach Nancy McDaniel said. “And number two, we want to get a chance to look the course over for the NCAA Championships in spring.”

The team heads over to the Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course in Franklin, Tenn., this weekend, with tee times beginning on Friday at 6 a.m. PST.

After coming in at fifth at Colorado State’s Ptarmigan Ram Classic two weeks ago, the Bears, led by McDaniel, look forward to a greater challenge their next tournament, an 18-team derby that includes top programs like UCLA, Alabama, Duke, Arizona and LSU.

“(The tournament) has a great field, so it’s about trying to commit some of the things we have been doing, before and leading up to this tournament.” senior Daniela Holmqvist said. “We want to see how that plays out against other top teams.”

After finishing 12th in last year’s NCAA Championships, due in part to the strength of its short game, the team knows there is great room for improvement.

“When we got to nationals, we were weak in our mental toughness,” McDaniel said. “A lot of the matches now are going to just be toughing it out.”

Much of this mental strength came from key seniors on the team, one of whom was Pia Halbig, who won the Mason Rudolph individual title in 2010. Halbig had been a mental leader for four years, and her departure leaves a hole on the roster that may be filled by a veteran such as Holmqvist.

“I think the main thing is that we all need to be on the same level,” Holmqvist said. “We want everyone to be playing together and well at the same time.”

Holmqvist and other experienced players on the team look to help incoming freshman by providing them with tips and advice for the field.

“They are all great players coming in so it’s really not about playing advice,” Holmqvist said. “I think we mainly try to help them make the best of their years at Cal, athletically and academically, and we try to help them with time management, since that’s really key to being a student athlete.”

Holmqvist herself has been making the best of her years, participating in various golf tournaments over the summer, many of which brought her much success. She participated in, and won, a small men’s golf tournament, and was selected to compete in an unofficial amateur championship which consisted of the 40 best amateur players in the world.

“Being a senior, I really look forward to continuing the success I had this summer, and I enjoy playing the competitive schedule that we do,” Holmqvist said.

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