Courtesy of Brian Beard

This past weekend, the Bowdoin women’s golf team opened its season with a record-breaking performance at their first and only home tournament of the season. Just five strokes behind the winning team from Middlebury College, the Polar Bears shot a 593 (+9), which blew their previous 36-hole record score of 611 out of the water. Additionally, the team broke the 18-hole record of 304 after shooting a 298 (+6) on Saturday.

This weekend’s performance marks a strong start for the Polar Bears, and with only three tournaments remaining this season, the team is looking to continue to build on their early success and deepen their bond as teammates.

“The vibes are high,” Head Coach Stu Cady wrote in an email to the Orient. “The team loves being around each other, working hard and competing.”

On a team with only five athletes, team culture has been especially important to develop.

“Since we have such a small team, I feel it’s made us even closer both on and off the course,” Hailey Lim ’30 wrote in an email to the Orient. “It’s nice that we’re able to push each other in golf but also have fun.”

The tight-knit aspect of the team has helped the two first-years, Lim and Allison Le ’30, quickly become part of the group. Cady noted that both have already made an impressive impact on the team.

“[Le] and [Lim] have been a nice addition to the team as humans and golfers,” Cady wrote. “Their games speak for themselves and we’re excited to watch them grow and improve. The biggest factor for them has been their enjoyment of being part of the team and embracing all that comes with that.”

For Le, the transition to college was made a lot more enjoyable by her teammates, who encourage her to be her best every day.

“The want to show up every day, put my head down and work hard no matter the circumstance really came naturally,” Le wrote in an email to the Orient. “Being out on [the] course, and playing for the team and trying my hardest not just for myself, but for them too, has been so exhilarating.”

While its record-breaking performance is certainly promising when looking forward to the rest of the season, the team has been focused on the process rather than individual outcomes.

“I think we all tried to go into the first match with the intention of performing our best while knowing that golf isn’t a game that requires perfection,” Lim wrote.

“Our focus this season is controlling the controllables and ignoring the rest,” Cady wrote. “Everyone has their process [that] they need to work to play their best, and that’s all we are focusing on.”

With three matches to go, the Bowdoin women’s golf team has its sights set on improving on its achievements and ultimately pursuing a title deep into the postseason.

“I have my eye on an NCAA National Championship run with the team,” Le wrote.

For a team that has already rewritten its record book, the next challenge will be keeping up the momentum for the rest of the season while continuing to build the culture that helped the Polar Bears start off strong.