(Photo by John Kelley)
[su_spacer size=”40″] Carbajo Ré is one of 96 golfers – 90 as members of 18 teams and six individuals – in the field N.C. State’s at Lonnie Poole Golf Course. From the 54-hole Regional, the top six teams and the top three individual finishers who are not members of an advancing team will go on to compete in the NCAA Championships on May 22-27 in Bradenton, Fla.
[su_spacer size=”40″] On Thursday, Carbajo Ré will be paired with Genevieve Ling from Boise State and Ashley Burke from South Florida. That trio will tee off from No. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Carbajo Ré will tee off at 8:15 on Friday and Saturday mornings as well, with pairings and location determined by results entering that day’s round.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I’m really excited. I’ve been waiting for this the whole year,” Carbajo Ré said. “This is the best part of the season. SECs, Regionals and nationals are the best three tournaments in college, I think. I can not wait to see what happens.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Carbajo Ré has enjoyed a steady and solid spring campaign. She has posted three top-10 and five top-20 individual finishes in six tournaments during the 2015 calendar. Headlining that ledger is capturing medalist honors at the Lady Bulldog Individual Championship at the UGA Golf Course in February. Most recently, Carbajo Ré tied for 12th at the SEC Championships two weeks ago.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I am focusing on getting better every day and I’ve practicing a lot and I think the results are coming because of that practice.” Carbajo Ré said. “I’m more relaxed and thinking in the present. Maybe I’m working better mentally on the course and not being anxious. I think all of that has helped me finish better in the tournaments this spring.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Head coach Josh Brewer believes confidence in her swing has helped with Carbajo Ré’s stellar spring campaign.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Manuela has been working hard on her golf swing, and I think she’s found some confidence in it,” head coach Josh Brewer said. “She’s become more and more consistent throughout the spring and is hitting it really well. She’s been striking it so much better than she did the past year.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] A One-Person Team
The Raleigh Regional will be a different experience for Manuela Carbajo Ré, marking the first time in her collegiate career she has played in a tournament without her Georgia teammates.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I’ve never done this in college so it’s going to be a new experience not having my teammates there,” Carbajo Ré said. “I’m disappointed they won’t be there but I’m still going to compete my best because this is what I love to do.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I wish we had five instead of one but it’s a national championship and Manuela still has a chance to win a national title for the University of Georgia,” head coach Josh Brewer said. “The main thing is to try to stay out of her way. This spring, I’ve watched her some but it’s not like I’ve been there every shot. She’s done it herself, which is what you want as a coach.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I’m going to let her tell me what she wants me to do once the competition starts,” Brewer continued. “I’ll help prep her. We’ll go over the golf course and make some tweaks each day. If she wants me to just be there as support or act sort of like a caddy, we’ll figure that out. I’m going to listen to her. She’s a great player and has done it by herself her entire life.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Carbajo Ré enters the Regional at No. 46 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, No. 92 in the Golfstat Cup and No. 98 in Golfstat’s head-to-head rankings.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia’s Individual National Champions
All told, Georgia golfers have posted 21 top-10 and 36 top-20 individual finishes at the national championships as listed in the box to the right. Terri Moody (1981), Cindy Schreyer (1984) and Vicki Goetze (1992) headline that ledger with a trio of individual national titles. UGA’s tally of three individual crowns ranks fourth nationally behind Arizona State (five), Southern Cal (five) and Arizona (four). Duke, Texas and Tulsa also have produced three individual national champion medalists.
[su_spacer size=”40″] ”Manu’s” stellar Resume
Manuela Carbajo Ré sports an impressive competitive resume that includes winning the 2011 Southern American Amateur, securing medalist honors at the 2010 South American Junior Team Championships and placing eighth individually at the 2010 World Team Amateur.