Washington State tees it up in Golfweek Red Sky Classic with a new yet seasoned coach
Sofie Aagaard is skilled at making connections – anyone involved with the International team at the 2020 Palmer Cup can tell you that.
It was Aagaard, then at the helm of Cal Poly’s women’s program, who painstakingly contacted family members for each of 24 players on the International squad seeking a personal message for a compilation video. When the video was played during the event, which had been moved back months from its usual summer slot to just a few days before Christmas, there weren’t many dry eyes in the room. The intent, said Aagaard, was to show that “we all have a similar background, in one way or another.”
Later that week, the Internationals won the team competition in a rout.
“I think that Palmer Cup, I get chills just thinking about it,” she said. “We figured out how to connect those players, across gender, across ages, across cultures, nations.”
This is particularly relevant now that Aagaard has just taken up the reins at Washington State, where a diverse squad includes players from the West Coast as well as Australia, Denmark, Thailand and China. Consider Aagaard, coming off seven years at Cal Poly, one of the exceptional new hires of the summer. Barely a month into the fall season, there’s much relationship building going on in Pullman.
Aagaard, however, is quick to point out that there’s still a lot of familiarity among the program. Former coach Kelli Kamimura, a friend of Aagaard’s, remains on campus working for Athletics HR. Her office is one floor above Aagaard’s. Associate head coach Emma White remains and Aagaard has already brought in a sports psychologist who had previously worked with the team.
“I think the transition was easy because of all those factors,” Aagaard said, “…because we speak similar language. I think it was more of a time just to realize we are in this together.”
Golfweek Red Sky Classic: Live scoring
Already, the Cougars are getting business done. Last week they tied for fourth in their season opener, the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin. Three Cougars – Darcy Habgood, Jinyu Wu and Madelyn Gamble – landed inside the top 20 individually. Aagaard spent the week figuring out what is productive for her players on course, what kind of conversations to have with them and where they need support.
“In Madison, I think we had great composure on course, there was very good energy on course,” Aagaard said. “Executing shots from tee to green was really good. Where we lacked a little bit was in our chipping, our short game. That could improve, when we miss the green. But the ballstriking in general was really great. I liked their performance with their long clubs, like the drivers and the 3-woods, being able to go for par 5s.”
Now it’s time to take that ballstriking to elevation. Aagaard’s players had been prepping her for Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colorado, having finished fourth at this event a year ago. They gushed to their new coach about the views that Red Sky would bring.
Aagaard had her players focused on data collection early in the week. She reminded them the ball would fly differently here, at more than 8,000 above sea level. Aagaard, who played professionally after her college career at Cal, competed in Colorado and has competitive experience herself at elevation.
For teams coming from sea level, success at Red Sky requires quite a bit of thought – and math. A year ago, East Tennessee State players picked their numbers, committed to them and took home a one-shot victory over Denver. The Buccaneers return this year for a shot at a title defense.
The Golfweek Red Sky Classic has been played at Red Sky’s Fazio Course every year since 2010, except when the event was canceled in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19. The tournament debuted in 2009 at Primm Valley Golf Club in Las Vegas. Pepperdine has appeared in the field every year, winning the title in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Four other times, the Waves finished with at least a share of second place.
“We love playing Red Sky every Fall,” Pepperdine head coach Laurie Gibbs said. “The tournament is first class on a beautiful course. Golfweek and the staff at Red Sky are wonderful hosts. We enjoy playing teams from around the country in perfect weather.”
This year’s 20-team field features Washington State and Colorado from the Pac-12. The 54-hole event takes place Sept. 26-28 with a single round each day.
Past champions
2009 – Pepperdine
2010 – Virginia
2011 – Oklahoma
2012 – Pepperdine
2013 – Pepperdine
2014 – Pepperdine
2015 – San Diego State
2016 – San Diego State
2017 – Denver
2018 – UCLA
2019 – Ole Miss
2020 – No Tournament
2021 – East Tennessee State
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