Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.
As a golf coach, Bishop Gorman's Kelsey McCall teaches his girls how to improve their putts, strengthen their drives, and work themselves out of a bunker.
And, just like a made-for-TV deal, McCall offers just a bit more. Gaels golfers get a lesson in having fun, growing up, and getting ready for the rest of life -- golf or no golf.
Coming into the season, the buzz was all about Gorman, and their phenomenal group of girls that was thought by some to be unbeatable. Led by seniors Justina Yu and Clare Schneider, the Gaels' X-factor this season was the maturity of four talented freshmen -- Angelica Wright, Lauren Hernandez, Desiree Del Rosario, and Jennie Sanford.
Gorman won its 11th and final match of the season Wednesday, heading into next week's Sunset Region tournament at Black Mountain Country Club in Henderson on a roll. As for the maturity: "I don't think I had this level of maturity until I was in college," McCall jokes.
Yu is without a doubt the team's leader. An Ivy League hopeful, she's been recruited this season by several California programs. She said this year, she's able to relax because of her new teammates.
"They're fresh, they're energetic, and they're fun to be around," she said. "They've made my senior year the best of all four years."
Yu relishes the leadership role she waited through high school to assume.
"Usually when they need someone to turn to, they expect me to answer their questions," the confident Yu said.
McCall enjoys having senior leadership to steer the ship.
"The two seniors can really direct the team," McCall explains. "They can tell them what it's going to be like, and give them advice from a peer level on how to handle pressure."
It is the pressure that McCall does not want his players to succumb to, especially his younger ones.
"He tells us just to move on to the next shot (if they make a mistake)," Schneider said. "One shot isn't going to matter."
"We all know they're going to go out and try their best, and if they don't, nobody's going to blame them," McCall said. "We'll still be friends if they don't have the best round."
But with the playoffs looming, a little pressure might help for girls that so far have dominated the competition. McCall knows that playing in front of a crowd of 100 brings more pressure to the Gorman golfers.
"We try to run competition within ourselves," McCall says. "We put pressure on them, and talk about how they handled the pressure. We try to get in to a routine, and focus on their physical well being. When you get physically tired, you get mentally tired."
McCall enjoys a strong relationship with the Gorman squad. Players at practice are laughing, enjoying each other, and learning with each other. Most of the team will watch the PGA Tour pros play Sunday at the Las Vegas Invitational.
"They can learn from watching the pros," McCall said. "You don't see their emotions ... even the pros hit bad shots, but they try to play at an even level."
McCall feels that watching the pros will help put things in perspective.
"This isn't really about golf," he said. "This is about life, family, memories, and team. We use golf to center it around."
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