CMC75 Moments: 2018 Women's Golf Takes NCAA Title on Second Playoff Hole
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2018 Women's Golf: Athenas win National Title
The CMS Women's Golf team played 72 holes over four days, totaling 1,261 strokes at the NCAA Division III Championships at Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Problem was that Williams also totaled 1,261 strokes, which meant a playoff would be needed to determine the national champion. She didn't know it at the time, but Mira Yoo's chip in on the 17th hole in the second to last group turned out to be pivotal to keep CMS chances alive.
The first playoff hole didn't break the tie as Williams' Holly Davenport kept the Ephs in it with a clutch 10-foot putt, and that meant heading back to the 18th again for the third time in the last hour. Emily Attiyeh put CMS in front in her group, and Emma Kang also added a stroke to the CMS lead, but Cordelia Chan's birdie tied it up for Williams heading into the final group.
Senior Margaret Loncki, who had already won the individual national championship over the first 72 holes, had a 15-footer, putting her just outside of Davenport's 12-foot putt meaning that she had to go first. With all the pressure on her, Loncki sank the putt in clearly one of the most clutch moments in CMS athletics history. Davenport had come up big for Williams already once and looked like she might do so again, but her tying putt stayed right on the lip, and CMS was able to hoist the trophy in what has to be one of the closest margins for a national title in NCAA history – less than the width of a golf ball.
Loncki was the SCIAC Athlete of the Year and Yoo was the Newcomer of the Year with both earning first-team All-America honors, while Kang was first-team All-SCIAC and Attiyeh and Kelly Ransom were on the second team.
Emma Kang:
My memories of that moment were overwhelmed nervousness that wouldn't let my hands stop shaking, grit and confidence in my team to get the job done, and joy to the point of tears. There were so many emotions leading up to the last moments of the 2018 NCAA National Championship. The 18th hole was not an easy feat - I had bogeyed the hole in every round leading up to this point. Honed concentration mixed with rushing adrenaline and reassuring team pep talks allowed me to par out both playoff holes, contributing to the CMS lead. Each shot and every putt from both CMS and Williams made our team shake with nervousness. But when Marge sank the final putt, our entire team began shaking with relief, joy and excitement. We had done it.
I could not have been blessed with a better team. We were always that team of jokesters that you couldn't take seriously on the range. But when the time came, we buckled down and played our game. That's what makes the CMS womens' golf team different from most; and the reason why I'm so grateful to have experienced winning a national title with such amazing teammates and supportive coaches/parents.
Emily Attiyeh:
I had trouble seeing what was going on because there were so many people around so was not even sure how far Marge's putt was. Nonetheless, I had a feeling it was going in because she is an amazing pressure player and it was almost characteristic for her to make that putt. Besides watching professional sports, it was definitely the most amazing thing I had ever witnessed. Although, she had been hitting clutch shots like that all season and I think it was incredible just to bear witness of her golf those few months. Similarly, I could not see how far away the Williams girl was and I didn't realize that it almost went in. When she missed it took a second to realize that we had truly won and it was over. That moment was a huge relief and I think we were all stunned that it had ended that way.
It was really difficult to stay focused and grind all four days. The course was tough and required a lot of thinking and deliberation. We have a routine before each round that keeps us grounded, reminding us that this is like any other tournament. Also, being able to see each other on the course or passing messages through our coach helps create little moments of calm in such a tense environment.
Playing as part of team was a big change for me and changed the level of competitiveness. I want to play well and compete because I want to help my team, not because I have huge personal golf aspirations. I think that celebrating with a team is far more fulfilling. The moments after our win felt like the perfect climax after a virtually perfect season and I think we all felt that way.
I have two favorite moments. I think the awards ceremony afterward where Marge collected her individual award, Jodie collected her coaching award, and we collected our award was a moment I will not forget. We had such an amazing season and we knew Marge was about to leave to catch a flight to get back for graduation so we really relished each moment she was there. The other moment was the celebration afterwards. We went to a quick dinner and rehashed the day like we would in any other tournament, enjoying our last time with Marge. I know now that we were so lucky to have the chemistry we did. Having a team you can laugh with and have fun with, even in pressure filled moments, is really underrated and is definitely unique about our group. Other teams would watch us warm up and think we were crazy and not serious enough, but I think belting out our favorite playlists and joking around before the round is what made equipped to handle the pressure during the round.
Mira Yoo:
The moment Marge made her putt, everyone watching became extremely nervous. The Williams player that Marge was playing with still had to putt after Marge made hers. This would determine whether we would have to go into another playoff round or win. When the Williams player missed her putt to tie, I could feel the entire team suppressing their excitement. We wanted to run up onto the green and hug Marge, but we had to wait until the round was officially over to maintain golf etiquette. Once the round was over, most of us burst into tears with happiness and relief. The fact that our team had become the national champions in my first year of college was shocking and it only sank in when we officially received the awards.
Marge's putt was incredible. In a typical golf round, I rarely make a 15-footer, but she was able to make it under extreme pressure. Marge's putt is probably one of the most amazing clutch moments I have experienced. She was our captain, so it was very fitting that she was the one to make the decisive putt.
The national championship was exhausting because I still had to take finals while also walk six hours a day, for four days. For me, playing four days in a row was more physically exhausting than mentally. On the last day, I had no idea how everyone on my team was playing and I was clueless that Williams was having their best round. I remember playing hole 17 on the last day because my shot to get on the green had missed entirely. I was probably 30-40 feet from the hole behind a couple of palm trees. There was little room for error in my chip shot. The green was sloped so if I hit it too hard, I would risk my shot rolling into the water. Thankfully, I hit my shot and landed it exactly where I had planned to with the perfect speed. When I saw the ball go into the hole, I did not register it immediately until my teammate, who was waiting on the next tee, started cheering. That was probably one of the most difficult shots I had from the national championships.
One of my favorite moments from the championship was when we realized we had to play a playoff with Williams. Our team started panicking about finding our golf bags and getting mentally prepared to play again. There were so many other teams and golf bags around the green that some of us could not find our bags. We were yelling "Where's my bag?" which gave us a big laugh. It helped relax our nerves and brush off some of the pressure.
Playing golf in college was my first experience of having a team to support and cheer me on. My high school did not have a women's team, so I had always played alone. I would say that playing with a team is much more reassuring than playing alone. When I think back at our tournaments, my teammates would almost always play well when I was having a bad round. That feeling and being able to share my happiness when we win is extremely rewarding.
2018 Women's Golf Roster
Head Coach: Jodie Burton
Assistant Coach: Julie Lynd
Emily Attiyeh (Fr., CMC)
Cara Brinster (So., CMC)
Taylor Hughes (So., CMC)
Emma Kang (So., CMC)
Caity Kwun (So., CMC)
Margaret Loncki (Sr., CMC)
Erica McDonald (Fr., HMC)
Mary Bryan Owen (Jr., CMC)
Kelly Ransom (Jr., CMC)
Camille Simon (Fr., HMC)
Eunice Song (So., CMC)
Teressa Ulrich (Fr., CMC)
Mira Yoo (Fr., CMC)