RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's golf team made history when they won the Southland Conference (SLC) Championship at Kiss Tree Golf Club on April 15.
The win gave the program its first-ever Automatic Qualifier (AQ) to the NCAA Regional Tournament as they will compete at the Tallahassee Regional from May 11-13 at Seminole Legacy Golf Course.
It was also the program's first win since winning the Ocelot Invitational in 2013 and the program's first conference win since winning the 2009 Great West Conference Championship.
The Vaqueros used a program record 868 to secure their trip to their first regional making history and setting new marks in the record books.
In short, it was a tournament to remember for the Vaqueros.
Most fans followed the live scoring all tournament long almost to the point of fear of missing a hole. Now we get to go inside the minds of the Vaqueros and go along for the ride of the biggest tournament win in program history.
Getting Ready for the SLC Championship
Going into the SLC Championship the Vaqueros were ranked 189 in the Scoreboard rankings, which was second in the SLC only to Houston Christian.
The Vaqueros and Huskies had competed against each other throughout the spring as they both played at the ULM Invitational, Islanders Collegiate, and Texas State Invitational. The Huskies had finished ahead of the Vaqueros each time.
The Vaqueros knew they were going to have to play good golf in order to finish ahead of the Huskies in San Marcos.
"We knew we had to play some really good golf if we wanted to stand a chance that week," sophomore Miriam Barcalova said. "We know we worked really hard and put in hours of preparation into it. Personally, I felt waves of confidence from myself and the team. It showed in the practice round. We knew we had to work hard because we hadn't beat them this year, so we knew what was at stake."
"I knew we could win," sophomore Zoe Hobbs said. "There wasn't really a doubt in my mind, if we all played well that we could compete and play better than Houston Christian. We knew as a team that we were beating them at the Corpus tournament and we let them get away with the victory. We really hadn't all five girls play well at the same time this spring, but I knew we could do it."
"Before the tournament, we were working really hard, especially after the Corpus Christi tournament," junior Natalia Rodriguez said. "We finished second to Houston Christian and that pushed us to work harder. We got together with the coaches a lot and we came up with a game plan. We knew we were second behind HCU, but we never lost confidence and knew that we had a chance."
"We practiced a lot to get ready," sophomore Pitchayapa Pungpho said. "Coach Pang gave us drills to get ready. We did a lot to prepare."
"We went into the tournament feeling good," junior Preston Saiz said. "We knew that we had a chance and that we were going to have to fight for it. We went in with our game plan and sticking to that. We wanted to do our best and stay within the game and knowing that anything could happen."
In the Mix After a Solid First Round
The Vaqueros knew they couldn't win the tournament on the first day but that they could lose it or at least fall out of contention.
UTRGV was just one of two teams in the first round to post a score lower than 300 as they put up a team score of 292, which was eight shots behind Houston Christian for the lead.
Barcalova posted an even par 72, Pungpho and Hobbs turned one-over rounds of 73 while Rodriguez posted a two-over par 74. Their 292 put them within reach of the Huskies and in a good spot going into moving day, round two.
"We were just trying to maintain our position," Barcalova said. "I don't think any of us were thinking about the score, because eight shots spread across four players is very little. We knew that we could flip it around at any second. We were taking it one step at a time, shot by shot, and hole by hole. I think that gave us an advantage in the end because we weren't rushing. We were slowly paced ourselves to get better and we eventually did."
"Coach Moore stayed pretty positive with us," Hobbs said. "In golf, eight shots are not a lot, especially in the second round. A lot can happen within 36 holes, and we all felt like we left some shots out there. We knew that there was a lot we could have done with the round, so going into the second round, we knew if we played a little better, we would be in a good spot."
"We knew we were in second," Rodriguez said. "We were eight shots back, but we knew we could cut it. After the first round, we went to the putting green to work on our speed and to the range for those that didn't feel good that day. We knew we had to stick to our plan in the second round and that we could get closer to the leader."
"It wasn't weird for us to down eight strokes," Pungpho said. "Our team is pretty chill. We know that we didn't beat them in any other tournaments before going to conference. Coach Pang and Coach Moore were hyping us. They told us that we could still do it."
"We were told the same thing," Saiz said. "Just to keep fighting and that anything could happen. It really wasn't that big of a gap. I know for me, I didn't have my best round but coming off the course and seeing my teammates play well helped me get into a better mindset to take on the second round."
One Shot Off the Lead
After the second round, the Vaqueros found themselves in a position they didn't have too much experience in. UTRGV had an opportunity at a win at the Islanders Collegiate before finishing in second place to Houston Christian.
The Vaqueros posted a program record tying single round score of 288 in the second round that helped them get one shot behind Houston Christian, who posted a second round 295.
The possibility of winning the championship felt closer than ever and if the Vaqueros had confidence when it was an eight-shot difference, then they were going into the final round walking eight feet tall.
"We were all very excited to have such a good opportunity to bring this home," Barcalova said. "The vibes were high all week. We were all very confident. We had some good conversations and every morning we had a motivational speech from the coaches. I think that pushed us to try our best and never give up."
"It was great," Hobbs said. "We all played pretty well. I shot three-over and my score didn't count, so that goes to show how well we played as a team that day. We knew that we could do it and I think that gave us the confidence going into that third round knowing we can win the tournament and that we are as good as Houston Christian."
"It was very unexpected," Pungpho said. "It was better than what anyone else thought we could do. It was the first time that we had been that close to them this season."
"There was a lot of excitement," Saiz said. "It was really nice to come off the course and see that score up there. We knew that we were capable of doing it. We just had to see it. We were excited. I wouldn't say there were too many nerves. We just wanted to stick to what we had been doing."
Getting Locked In for the Final Round
Before the first one of the team tees off, the Vaqueros like to huddle up say a prayer and say a team cheer to break up the huddle.
The Vaqueros looked locked in on the practice range and on the practice putting green.
Saiz was the first off in the final round and she set the tone for the Vaqueros as she opened with three-straight birdies, which catapulted them in front of the Huskies for much of the morning.
The Vaqueros felt like they were on the verge of something special in that final round, but it was a matter of not letting the moment get too big.
"Maybe there were a little bit of nerves," Saiz said. "I had to dial in my focus and worry about what I could control and not worry about anyone else. I was just trying to stick to what I know. From the start, it was going really good. I got nervous but was able to reel it back in. I knew that every putt was going to matter."
"I don't think we were as nervous as some thought," Hobbs said. "I think it's harder to be in the first place position than chasing the first place position. It was kind of like whatever happens, happens. We went in believing in ourselves and that we had four people that went and played their best golf."
"Coach told us in the morning not to get too excited when things good or not to get too down when things go bad," Rodriguez said. "We are still fighting and to play like we can."
"I don't know about others, but I was not nervous at all," Pungpho said. "I didn't think much about it, I just went out there and played my game. I got ready like normal, like I do any other tournament."
Coming Down The Stretch
Confidence was riding high for the Vaqueros out of the gate, but the roller coaster ride brought them down a bit. Their lead had been erased and as the final group made the turn, the Vaqueros found themselves look up to Houston Christian again.
The Vaqueros were saving the best for the back nine as they had the two previous days. They played the final five holes almost to perfection.
In round one, they played the final five holes a combined seven-under par and then played them five-under in round two. In the final round, the Vaqueros played the final five holes eight-under par.
Saiz played the final nine holes one-under. Rodriguez finished her last five holes birdie, par, birdie, birdie. Pungpho did one better while going birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, and Barcalova closed out with three-straight pars, none bigger than on hole 18.
"I didn't know what was going on in front of me," Barcalova said. "I could feel it though, because Sara [Pihlajamaki] got a little quieter. Everything got a little weird looking. I figured something was going on but didn't know how close it was. I was playing against myself. I finished par, par, par, I believe. I missed a birdie putt on 16, wasn't able to get up and down on 17 and you all know how it ended on 18."
"I didn't have a great day in that final round," Hobbs said. "It kind of took the pressure off me and once I reached a certain point, I was rooting for my other teammates. Once I finished and refreshing the scoreboard and seeing Pitchayapa finish birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, seeing Natalia go under par, was all so amazing to see. It was amazing. I don't think any of us expected it to be like that. It's a hard way to win but it was the best way to win."
"I was looking a lot at the live scoring," Rodriguez said. "When I started playing good, I told myself it wasn't a good idea to keep doing that. I didn't know what was happening, but I was just trying to do my best. If it was going to happen then it would happen. I was with Coach Moore, and he was just seeing birdies. Pitchayapa went birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie and I was dropping birdies. It was so much fun. I was really excited to finish the way I did."
"When I signed my scorecard, I saw Pitchayapa make birdie," Rodriguez said. "Then I rode back to 18 but didn't see Miriam's tee shot but they told me she went into the water. The moment she chipped, I was screaming. I thought she was going to make it. I think there's a video of me. When I saw the Houston Christian golfer miss the putt, I didn't know what was happening. When Miriam made her putt, we all started screaming and crying. I was shocked at first and had to remind the other girls if they realized what we had just done."
"After the 14th hole, I was three-over," Pungpho said. "I felt bad at that point because I wasn't making any putts and then everyone started watching me and I got kind of nervous at that point. The last five holes I stopped thinking about what I was going to shoot. I needed to play my game and focus. I didn't look at the live scoring after that. I didn't know the situation going on."
"It was very stressful but really fun though," Saiz said. "I came in not knowing where we were at. The Houston Christian golfer in my group wasn't going to count so I had nothing to compare myself with. I didn't know how big the gap was and found out it was just two strokes. I had to sit there and watch it all happen. It was exciting seeing Pitchayapa come in with all those birdies. Nat had a great run as well and then of course Miriam with the finish, it was very exciting."
The 18th Hole
After Pungpho tapped in for birdie on 18, the only one left on the course was Barcalova. Pungpho's birdie moved the Vaqueros into a tie with Houston Christian.
In the final group, Barcalova had just missed birdie on the 17
th hole and was the first two tee off on 18.
Her drive found the water making it even tougher for the Vaqueros to secure the win.
"I didn't know the gravity of the situation, but I wasn't very happy," Barcalova said. "I had hit good shots on that hole before, and I felt confident with my driver. I hadn't hit a bad driver all week. I was a little surprised because when I miss hit it, I miss to the left, and this was to the right. You had all the people down there and the cameras. It gets to everyone even though people don't want to admit it. It got to me a little bit but as I walked to the drop, I let myself reset. I didn't want to let the other girls down."
Pihlajamaki decided to layup up after Barcalova's tee shot and put her tee shot in the middle of the fairway. Her second shot fell short of the green putting her in a spot where she had to get up and down for par.
On the other end, Barcalova needed to drop and hit her third shot. She chipped it up. It landed just on the green but picked up speed to the hole and hit the pin sending the Vaqueros and their fans into a frenzy.
"Everyone was screaming," Barcalova said. "Everyone was so happy and I told myself, wow, this must matter. When Sara missed her putt, I thought there was a window open. I was very happy. I was nervous and was meditating on the green. I was trying to block out the noise and get back to my process to hit a good putt."
Pihlajamaki then missed her par putt and tapped in for bogey, which was her only bogey of the tournament, setting up the winning put for UTRGV.
Barcalova went through her processes and drained the winning putt.
"I was asking them, did we win," Barcalova said. "I didn't know if it was going to be a playoff or something else. It was just a beautiful moment. Then I saw Sara upset and I knew it had flipped and we came out on top."
"It was amazing," Barcalova said. "Coach [Houston] Moore came over to give me a hug. Coach Pang did too. The girls were crying. It felt like all this weight just lifted off me. It's not easy to be in the back and have all the weight on you, so I was just happy to be the one to take the pressure because I feel like I know how to handle it."
Making History
The Vaqueros were entering a new era in 2025-26 and winning a Southland Championship put the exclamation point on their season.
The program had won 13 tournaments since the spring of 1993 but none bigger than the 2026 Southland Championship.
"I am very honored, since this is my first year at UTRGV," Barcalova said. "I am very happy that I can be a part of this. I feel like we had some adversity in the beginning of the season, but I think we were able to handle that adversity. I am really proud of us for being able to do that. We did it for everyone that was there before us. Our alumni, for Molly [Castner] and Chasse [Conque]. They were super happy and we were happy to be able to honor the school."
"This was my first collegiate team win, so for it to be my first one felt amazing," Hobbs said. "I transferred in and had spoken with Coach Moore, and he told me that we want to win the championship and that we had a good shot. I always knew we had to team to do that, but I think it wasn't what I expected. It was an amazing experience. To be able to do it in my first year, first year with Coach Moore as our head coach, it just speaks volumes of the staff, the team, and the facilities we have here."
"If you had told me two years ago that we would win conference, I wouldn't have believed you," Rodriguez said. "I am really happy for what we did and how much work we put into it. We deserve it. I am proud of myself and of my teammates for a great season we had."
"It was amazing," Pungpho said. "It was sensational. I couldn't believe it. It really happened."
"It was really exciting," Saiz said. "The coolest part for me was knowing that we are representing the Valley. A lot of the people may know what the Valley is or where it is and just the fact that we are going to this regional to represent. It's a very cool feeling."
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