Women’s Golf Set to compete in Red Sky Classic

2024 Golfweek Red Sky Classic
Date	Monday-Wednesday, Sept. 23-25, 2024
EMU Info Hub	Notes Package (pdf)
Venue	Red Sky Ranch & GC \| Wolcott, Colo.
Course Information	Par: 72 \| Yardage: 6,305
Live	Live Scoring (GolfStat)
X (formerly Twitter)	EMU_Golf \| @EMUAthletics

WOLCOTT, Colo. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's golf team is back in action next week as the Eagles will head to Wolcott, Colo., to compete in the 2024 Golfweek Red Sky Classic, Monday-Wednesday, Sept. 23-25, at the Red Sky Ranch and Golf Club. The Eagles will be one of 14 teams in the field for the three-day event with each team playing 18 holes each day on the Fazio Course.

QUOTING BREWER
"It is good we have a quick turnaround after opening our season at Chambers Bay," Head Coach Josh Brewer said. "Many of our players have dreams of the plane and professional golf. This quick turn allows them to experience this. We saw many positives there. However, we also found areas we must improve on. We have had good practices as we work to clean up our mistakes. This group continues to work hard, and we know success is coming for us."

ON THE COURSE FOR EASTERN
Here is the lineup for the Eagles at the 2024 Golfweek Red Sky Classic:
1. Savannah de Bock (So.) • 71.33 avg. • Debuted for EMU with t-8th (214, -2) at Leadership & Golf Invite
2. Mariana Vega (Fr.) • 76.33 avg. • Made her collegiate debut at Leadership & Golf Invite (t-53rd)
3. Riley Kim (So.) • 77.0 avg. • Lone returning player for EMU tied for 63rd at the Leadership & Golf Invite
4. Julianna Go (So.) • 78.66 avg. • Finished T-75th in her debut with EMU after transferring in from King U.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The 2024 Golfweek Red Sky Classic will be played at the 6,305-yard, par-72 Red Sky Golf Club in Walcott, Colo., just outside Vail. The three-day event (Sept. 23-25) will see teams play 18 holes each day with a team and individual champion crowned. The teams will tee off from holes No. 1 and No. 10 at 10 a.m. MT (noon ET) Monday and Tuesday before playing from a shotgun start at 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. Eastern is one of 14 teams in the field that also includes No. 24 Pepperdine, the lone nationally-ranked squad in the tournament. Along with the Eagles and Waves, the field includes Arkansas State, Boise State, Denver, East Tennessee State, Kansas, Mercer, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, South Dakota State, UC Irvine, UNC Asheville, and Wichita State.

IN THE RANKINGS
According to the Sept. 6 release of the DI Mizuno WCGA Coaches Poll, three teams entered in this week's Golfweek Red Sky Classic can be found in or near the rankings. The lone team in the field in the national top 25 is Pepperdine, who enters the season ranked No. 24. Both Eastern Michigan and Kansas are receiving votes.

CHIP INS
-- Savannah de Bock has been named to the 2024 ANNIKA Award Fall Watch List. One of 25 players selected nationally, de Bock is on the short list for the award that is considered the Heisman of women's collegiate golf.
-- The current roster is comprised of six players, five of whom are new to the program this year. Riley Kim is the lone returning player and is joined by two transfers and three freshmen.
-- The coaching staff is also new in 2024 as Josh Brewer takes over in Ypsilanti following 12 years at Georgia. Brewer has added two assistants to his staff, including Caterina Don, who was one of his top players at Georgia, and Anna Watson, a four-year member of the Eastern program, both of whom graduated in 2024.

LOOKING BACK: LEADERSHIP & GOLF INVITE
Eastern Michigan opened its 2024 fall slate at the Leadership & Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., Sept. 16-17, with the Eagles placing 14th as a team at 906 (296-297-313). Savannah de Bock was the top finisher for the Eagles as she shot 214 that included rounds of 68, 71, and 75, to finish tied for eighth. She spent the entire tournament among the top 10 on the player leader board and moved as his as first place for a brief moment. She finished the tournament with a team-high 13 birdies. Mariana Vega made her collegiate debut and finished second on the team at 229 (73-77-79) for an overall tie for 53rd while Riley Kim, the lone returning player on the roster, finished tied for 63rd at 231 (79-74-78). Transfer Julianna Go tied for 75th at 236 (76-79-81) while Amaya Melendez finished tied for 80th at 239 (80-75-84) in her collegiate debut.

ETCHING HER NAME
Individually, Savannah de Bock fired an opening round 68 at the Leadership & Golf Invitational, which tied for the third-lowest score in program history. The 68 also marked just the 17th sub-70 round in program history while her 214 total ranks as the second-best tournament score in EMU history, equaling the mark of Catherine Fortin, who shot 214 at the Shootout at the Legends, Oct. 8-9, 2007, for a then-school record. That mark was lowered last year by current graduate assistant Anna Watson, who carded a 211 at the Shirley Spork Invitational, Oct. 2-3, 2023.

LOGGING MILES
The 2024-25 season will see Eastern take part in tournaments in 10 different states that stretch from coast to coast, and beyond. During the fall season, the Eagles will compete in five events with trips to Washington, Colorado, Kansas, Hawaii, and Florida. In the spring, Eastern will take part in tournaments in Arizona, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee before playing twice in Indiana, including the MAC Championships, April 18-20, in Muncie. Eastern will look to add new destinations to the map in the postseason should it qualify for the NCAA Regionals (TBD sites) and the NCAA Championships, which will be held in California.

ON THE LIST: THE ANNIKA AWARD
The ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel is the highest award given annually in women's collegiate golf and is on the same level as the Heisman Trophy is to collegiate football. This year, Savannah De Bock has been included on the Fall Watch List and is the first player in EMU history to earn a selection to the ledger.
In her freshman season at Georgia, de Bock, who was a mid-year enrollee with the Bulldogs, was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team and ranked No. 83 nationally. Last fall, she finished fourth at the World Junior Girls Championships and compiled a 3-0 record to help Europe win the Junior Solheim Cup before joining the Bulldogs in January. In eight collegiate tournaments, she compiled a 73.95 stroke average with six par-or-better tallies in 22 rounds. She also notched four top 20 performances, with a best effort of fifth place at the San Diego State Classic before she finished 23rd at both the SEC Championships and the NCAA Auburn Regional.
Since joining the EMU program, de Bock competed in the World Junior Championships, where she placed second by carding a two-under, 214 (72-73-69) on the Damai Indah Golf - PIK Course in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 12-14, 2024. It marked her third participation in the event as she placed fourth in 2023 and fifth in 2022. Her most recent finish added to her lengthy list of accomplished finishes that saw her climb to as high as 35th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and 21st on the European Amateurs list. A participant in nearly 100 WAGR events between 2018-23, De Bock captured eight wins, 29 top five finishes, and 46 top 10 showings. Of those events, 13 were professional tournaments, including the 2022 and 2023 AIG Women's Open. The 2022 European Ladies' Amateur Champion, she has helped Team Europe to PING Junior Solheim Cup titles in both 2021 and 2023.

WELCOME TO YPSILANTI
The 2024-25 campaign will mark the first for Josh Brewer as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan women's golf program following a highly successful 12-year stint at the University of Georgia. The eighth full-time head coach in program history, Brewer guided the Bulldogs to 16 tournament wins, including three NCAA Regional crowns. His teams qualified for the NCAA Regional tournament 10 times and advanced to the NCAA Championships on four occasions. His journey into coaching began unexpectedly after a successful collegiate playing career at Indiana University, where he helped the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Conference Championship in 1998. Following a stint as a financial advisor, Brewer returned to coaching at his alma mater, contributing to the Hoosiers' NCAA success before moving on to Southern Cal, where he further honed his coaching skills.
Known for his extraordinary work ethic and determination, Brewer made an immediate impact at Indiana as a freshman in 1994. He won the Legends Invitational with a 214 (73-68-73), en route to the team's third-best average that season of 77.36. Playing as Indiana's No. 2 golfer, Brewer finished tied for second place in the 1998 Big Ten Championships, Indiana's most recent conference title. One year prior, he finished tied for eighth at the conference championship. During his sophomore year, Brewer competed in 38 rounds, including the 1996 NCAA Championships. The Brownstown, Ind., native graduated from IU in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in Business Management.

LENDING A HAND
Prior to the start of the season, Head Coach Josh Brewer added two to his coaching staff, including Caterina Don as his assistant coach and Anna Watson a graduate assistant.
Don, the first full-time assistant in program history, earned numerous accolades and standout performances at Georgia. A three-time All-SEC selection, she capped her collegiate career in 2023-24 as an honorable mention All-American (WGCA and Golfweek) after shooting an average of 71.54, the third-lowest in UGA history. A three-time runner-up as a senior, Don added seven top 10 finishes as well.
Watson was the top player for the Eagles in 2024 with an average of 76.3 over the course of 31 rounds played. She finished her career in Ypsilanti with an average of 76.65, which ranks as the fourth-best by an Eastern player in program history. A second-team All-MAC selection, Watson was also stellar in the classroom as a three-time Academic All-MAC selection while adding two WGCA All-American Scholar honoree.

FANTASTIC FACILITIES
The GameAbove Golf Performance Center opened its doors Jan. 16, 2024, for the men's and women's golf teams to utilize for their preparations each season. The two-story facility, perched elegantly overlooking the 18th green and Ford Lake, was made possible through an $8 million gift from GameAbove, a dedicated group of Eastern Michigan alumni. The facility stands as a testament to EMU's commitment to excellence in collegiate golf. This state-of-the-art training complex, spanning 13,000 square feet, is designed to propel the Eastern men's and women's golf teams to new heights of success. With locker rooms, meeting spaces, indoor putting and chipping areas, and cutting-edge simulators, the facility provides an unparalleled training environment for all elements of the game.
The building features a dedicated practice range, spanning 6,619 square feet, which offers student-athletes the opportunity to hone their skills with targeted training sessions. A specialized area covering 5,383 square feet has been designated for chipping and putting, ensuring that every aspect of the game is meticulously addressed in the training regimen. Additionally, the inclusion of two TrackMan 4 Simulators, totaling 1,974 square feet, adds a cutting-edge dimension to the training experience. These simulators bring the outdoor game indoors, allowing for precision training regardless of external conditions.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern will take a break from competition before returning to action Oct. 7-8 at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational. The two-day meet will be played at Lawrence Country Club in Lawrence, Kan., with the University of Kansas playing host to the event.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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