RIO GRANDE VALLEY – After finishing the fall with a match play win over Corpus Christi, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s golf team are excited to see what is to come this spring. 
 
“I am excited to see what we can do,” UTRGV Women’s Golf Head Coach Bryan Novoa said. “If we can stay healthy and play to our normal potential, we are going to do great. We get some players back that look like they are on the mend, and it’s been a year and half since we could say that. I am excited about the spring.”
 
This spring, the Vaqueros are taking a different approach in their preparation for the spring. A lot of golfers like to go pin hunting looking for those low scores but that can sometimes backfire and lead to bigger numbers on the scorecard. 
 
Coach Novoa is trying to change the thinking of his squad and wants them to think about pars on the course. The idea is that more pars will lead to less of those big numbers. 
 
“We are shifting to a conservative mindset to get the scoring averages down early,” Novoa said. “Then we are having a little more conservative game plan to where we are not beating ourselves, so to speak. We are still going to get our birdies and have opportunities to shoot low, but the priority is definitely shifting. We need to get better executing par putts and on our short game. Our mental game, our strategy is all encompassing one simple solution.”
 
With the Vaqueros getting back to full strength with the return of Jackie Howard Gonzalez and Maria Jose Ramirez plus the confidence from the win at the end of the fall, the feeling at the Vaqueros Golf Center has been good. 
 
The Vaqueros are all in with the process that Coach Novoa has put in place. When everyone is pulling in the same direction, good things happen. 
 
“What excites me most is the comradery amongst the group in believing in the same goal,” Novoa said. “Golf is an individual sport but when we execute this style of golf then everyone is going to reap the rewards. Everyone loves the outcome and that’s what we are fixated on right now. Whatever you need to do to make a par, I am in.”
 
The goals for the spring will be just that, make as many pars as possible and in any way as possible. The Vaqueros don’t want to put the focus on just winning tournaments or targeting a specific score, but they feel that if they can focus on getting pars on the scorecard then that will lead to better scores and even a win.
 
“We just want make more pars and less doubles,” Novoa said. “That’s it. We are going to go from making nine pars to making like 13 to 15 pars a round and I am going to enjoy watching it. We will stuff the scorecard with pars and see where it goes.”
 
A big key to the goal of recording more pars will be how the Vaqueros perform around the green. Their success on the course will come from how well they do with their chipping and putting. 
 
Being good around the green comes from having a finesse touch and the more time put in around the green, the easier it becomes to master. That is why there will be a big emphasis on the Vaqueros work around the green.
 
“Short game, short game, short game,” Novoa said. “We are literally just focusing on short game. They have to practice ball striking on their own time. When it’s just me and them, they are just practicing from inside 80 to 100 yards. Just bring four clubs to practice. Leave your clubs in the locker room. They are going to go putt and chip all day. If you are hitting the ball great, work on short game. If you are hitting the ball bad, work on short game. That’s it.”
 
The Vaqueros don’t have much time to get ready for their first tournament of the spring as they tee it up at the Texas State Invitational. After heading to Corpus Christi for the Islander Classic, the Vaqueros will make a trek to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Shootout, hosted by Ball State. 
 

They will also compete at the Riverbend Intercollegiate before their final tournament at The “Mo” Morial Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, in their final preparation for the Southland Conference Championship.
 
Coach Novoa and the Vaqueros are looking forward to that final stretch of the season because that could set them up well for a run at a championship in San Marcos. 
 
“March first through April 16^th, if you are not geared up and excited about life then you are in the wrong sport,” Novoa said. “We have set this up very well. The field and the venue in Puerto Rico are going to be an awesome experience. We have Puerto Rico and Texas A&M on the schedule, and we want to peak during that stretch.”
 
With the taste of success at the end of the fall season, Coach Novoa wants to see the Vaqueros carry that into the spring. 
 
He sends out messages to the team reminding them of the win over Corpus and their department-leading 3.72 fall GPA. Coach Novoa wants the team to remember that feeling and to push for more of that this spring.
 
“I was texting the girls over break,” Novoa said. “I was talking about it at practice. I just wanted to remind them of the success they had and remind them of their why. We got that little rush with the win over Corpus, and we want to hit the repeat button. Let’s create that over and over again in our minds and create that as the standard that we are capable of. We talk and talk and talk about it.”
 
The spring season is here, and the Vaqueros have hit the ground running. It will be fun to see what the Vaqueros can do to add to their list of things accomplished this 2024-25 year. 
 
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