By John Brasier
Macy Pate eliminated any doubts she was ready for top-flight collegiate golf in her first round playing for defending NCAA champion Wake Forest.
Pate shot 2-under-par 70 in September at the Annika (Sorenstam) Invitational in Minnesota on her way to a tie for ninth at 6-under 210 in a 12-team field including many of the nation’s top women’s teams.
She went on to finish the fall at No. 33 in the national individual rankings as Wake grabbed the No. 1 team ranking. Plus, she had the thrill of winning the deciding match for the Demon Deacons in the championship round of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
Pate compiled a 70.62 fall stroke average, tied for third on the team with All-American Rachel Kuehn. Carolina Chacarra led with 69.62, followed by Mimi Rhodes at 70.38. Pate shot par or better in 11 of 13 tournament rounds and was 2-1 in match play.
“It’s been really fun,” Pate said on a frosty winter day at the Wake Forest Golf Center as she prepared for the spring season. “I’m happy with how I played. I worked really hard in the summer, school came around, and I hit the ground running.”
The highlight of Pate’s season was a 4 and 2 victory over Farah O’Keefe of Texas in the deciding match in the Deacons’ victory over Texas at the Stephens Cup in Dallas. Pate made a 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to clinch the win.
“It was very impressive,” Wake coach Kim Lewellen said.
Only weeks into her college career, Pate found herself in the middle of a celebration on the green after sinking the winning putt. Soon after, she was interviewed (pictured above) by Golf Channel, which televised the tournament.
“We all ran on the green to celebrate,” Pate remembered. “It was super-surreal because it was what I had been dreaming about for years.”
Pate also had a match-play victory in the Deacons’ 3-2 triumph over No. 2 Stanford in another championship round, this one at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta.
Wake Forest golfers join Macy Pate to celebrate after Pate’s clinching birdie putt at the Stephens Cup. (Photos courtesy of Wake Forest Sports Information)
Playing elite competition, the Deacons won three of five fall events, with top four finishes in the other two stroke tournaments.
Though confident after a year of preparing for the adjustment to college golf, Pate said she had a few jitters as she waited for her debut in Minnesota.
One of the nation’s top recruits, Pate was a two-time Carolinas Golf Association Junior Girls’ Player of the Year and a AJGA Rolex All-American. She helped Reagan High to state titles as a freshman and sophomore then skipped high school golf as a junior before graduating a year early to begin at Wake.
“I got here, and I thought, ‘Well, we’re here,’ and I just tried to take it all in,” she said. In Minnesota, “there were a lot of nerves, but it was exciting.”
Pate generated plenty of excitement as a junior, giving the golf world notice by shooting 57 – a feat reported by national and international media outlets — in a tournament at Bermuda Run West as a high school sophomore.
Lewellen was depending on Pate and fellow freshman Brooke Rivers to make successful, quick transitions to college golf. The Deacons have only six players – all six can play in the regulation tournament — on their roster, allowing each player to have a full athletic scholarship and travel to every tournament.
Pate has maintained her momentum so far in the new year. She was the lone Deacon player to go 3-0 in match play as Wake beat Georgetown and San Jose State before losing to South Carolina in a tournament played in Palos Verdes, California.
The national title will be determined in mid-May at La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, Calif. If the Deacons stay near the top in the rankings, they should have a good opportunity to qualify for La Costa at an NCAA regional at Bermuda Run East.
Despite Pate’s youth, Wake coach Kim Lewellen said Pate has a mature approach to practice and preparation.
Pate said she has maintained a consistent college routine. Class in until 12:15 or so, a short lunch, then four hours of practice, followed by a shower, dinner and classwork.
“She has a routine, and she follows it every day,” the coach said of Pate. “She always has a professional demeanor. With practice, that is what she does and who she is.
Wake’s strong match-play performances may be a product of competitive practices. Pate said practice rounds always include games between the players.
Macy Pate has shot par or better in 13 of her 16 stroke-play rounds at Wake Forest.
Pate and Kuehn, similar in stature and often confused for each other by outsiders despite a five-year age difference, are known for their trash-talking to each other. Pate said she considers the Asheville native, the daughter of former Wake star Brenda Corrie-Kuehn, to be “kind of a big sister” figure.
“If we go out and play, we always have some sort of match going, sometimes two matches going,” Pate said. “We’re super, super competitive. We’re always competing against each other in something.”
Pate said she has enjoyed the celebrations and recognitions afforded the Deacons since their national title victory last June. Plus, it’s made her hungry to be an active part of another championship.
“It’s been fun to celebrate with them, and it’s super-motivating for me to want to go out and win one this year.”
In addition to her teammates and coaches, Pate also has family support only a few minutes away. Her parents, Martha and Chris are only a few minutes away. Close enough for the freshman to drop off her laundry with mom and get a few playing tips from dad. She can also visit her young nephew, who lives in town.
Though slim and only 5-5, Pate averages about 260 yards off the tee – “good enough” – and is consistent in hitting greens in regulation. As her 57 showed, she’s capable of stringing together birdies and eagles.
“I’d say my ball striking is what really helps me right now,” Pate said. “I hit it pretty straight. I don’t miss many greens.”
Though NCAA rules make it possible for Pate to receive NIL deals, including equipment from Ping and apparel from Nike, Pate’s major aspiration is to move on to the biggest stage, the LPGA Tour.
“That’s the goal for sure,” she said. “I’m excited to have 3 ½ more years with both our coaches. It’s nice to be here. We learn things every day from them. At the end of my four years, I should be ready to move on and have success.”
