The Santa Clara men’s and women’s golf teams have led strong campaigns in the 2023-2024 season, continuing to add on to their recent stretch of success on the course.

To sum up their season, men’s golf freshman J.P Odland said, “We’re there to have fun, we’re there to do what we do but we’re also there to compete and we want to win.”

Men’s golf subsequently ended their season ranked No. 6 in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Championship, with a cumulative score of 1-over par. While their overall performance may not have been what they hoped for, the men’s squad had quite a few highlights along the way. Back in the fall, the team set a record for the lowest 54-hole total in school history, shooting a combined 45-under par (819) at the White Sands Invitational in the Bahamas.

Graduate transfer Muzzy Donohue was just named All-WCC, averaging a team-low 70.83 strokes per round–posting 15 total rounds under par. Donohue, who formerly played at Boston College, had an excellent season for the Broncos, highlighted by a 14-under par round at the Arizona NIT back in January–the lowest 54-hole score of his career and the lowest score by a Bronco since 2019. Donohue was dubbed WCC Golfer of the Month in January, adding another accolade to the impressive resume he has built in his lone year with Santa Clara.

On the other side of the range, women’s golf has had an excellent season, making it back to Golfweek’s National Golf Invitational for the second straight year. The tournament, consisting of teams from all over the country, will be held this coming weekend (May 10-12) at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Course in Maricopa, AZ. The Broncos finished third in the WCC Championship, shooting a combined 896 (+32) highlighted by graduate student Meva Schmit and sophomore Audrey Brust’s top ten finishes.

On March 18, Santa Clara Athletics announced the Wipler Family Golf Facility, a $2.5 million state-of-the-art practice facility that is now under construction.

Schmit, a graduate transfer from Kennesaw State, was recently one of just ten golfers named All-WCC, a testament to her consistency and skill throughout the season. Schmit led the team with an average of 74.85 strokes per round, becoming the first Bronco to be named All-WCC in two seasons. Freshman phenom Kelsey Kim took home the WCC Freshman of the Year Award, posting three top-20 finishes and playing in all nine events. She became just the second Bronco to win the award and certainly has a bright future on the course.

In other golf-related news, back on March 18, Santa Clara Athletics announced the Wipler Family Golf Facility, a $2.5 million state-of-the-art practice facility that is now under construction. The 5,700-square-foot facility will feature two enclosed hitting bays, a short game area and a team lounge. This facility will be huge for both the men’s and women’s programs, allowing them to finally have a sport-specific on-campus facility. It will also be a key recruiting pitch for the future as both programs hope to grow their brand regionally and nationally.