Xavier Musketeers golfer Emma Welch conquers mental game for Big East Championship

Xaver junior Emma Welch knows all too well how negative thoughts can cause a golfer to spiral out of control on the course.

Just two months ago at the Western Michigan University Rio Verde Invitational in Arizona, Xavier’s first event of the spring season, Welch posted a first-round score of 10-over par (72). This was after a summer where she was posting scores in the 60s in individual tournaments and felt like she was ready to take the next step.

“If you hit a bad shot, it’s hard to let go of that,” Welch said. “Your mind just spirals, and you’re not focused. It can really mess up your game.”

Welch recovered from that first round in February, finishing the event with a 73, then 74. She channeled all the help she received from a sports psychologist in the offseason. The power of positive thinking is immense.

“Tapping into knowing what kind of player and person I am, not comparing myself to anyone else and just being confident in what I’m doing really helped a lot,” Welch said. “Golf is the biggest mental sport there is.”

Welch realized her potential in the summer and rolled that into a sizzling spring that eventually led to the Big East Championships earlier this week at Callawassie Island Golf Club in Okatie, South Carolina.

In her first-ever conference tournament, Welch struck her irons perfectly and putted well. She posted the lowest round in the history of the event with a six-under-par (66).

“Her ball striking was by far the best I’ve seen in her three years so far,” Xavier head coach Breanna Jenco said. “She’s always been a good putter. When you add that ball striking to that, it’s a pretty good formula to play good golf.”

Welch had the formula, but could she clear the mental hurdle on the final day of the event?

“I’ve been in situations similar to this, and I’ve let it get to me,” she said.

Welch didn’t look at her phone on Sunday night with the championship round slated to start the next morning. She focused on being with her team and parents, not the trio of Georgetown golfers within striking distance of catching her on the leaderboard.

Standing on the 18th green on Monday, Welch had a difficult putt looking right at her. There was a chance she would misfire and end up three-putting. A fatal error that could cost her a title. One deep breath later, Welch’s putt just lipped out of the hole. It was close enough for an easy title-winning tap-in.

“I was like, ‘this is happening,’” Welch said.

Welch, who had only one career top-10 finish in an event, won medalist honors with a 213 (-3) for the tournament. Xavier’s Kara Carter and Erin Kim finished in the top-6 while Madison Reemsnyder and Darrelyn Webster were top-20 to help the Musketeers capture their fifth consecutive Big East Championship. Xavier held off runner-up Georgetown by two strokes.

Xavier didn’t have a victory during the season, so pulling out a fifth consecutive conference title was no easy task.

“It’s been fun to see the kids come together and pass on, one generation to another, what it takes to be at this level and to capture victories,” Jenco said. “I think when you get to four in a row, there’s a sense of you just put on this uniform and it happens. It was kind of fun to be able to say, ‘if you don’t work your tail off and keep doing what the previous generations have done, it’s not gonna happen for us.’”

Welch credits the time away from the golf course as a reason for the team’s sustained success. The Musketeers used the little free time they had throughout the year to become a tight-knit unit.

“When you have such a special team bond, you play better golf. You’re more confident, more comfortable. I think that’s what eventually got us a championship. We became better people for each other,” Welch said.

Viva Las Vegas for Xavier's women's golf

For the fifth season in a row, Xavier women’s golf huddled around a large TV screen on the fourth floor of Cintas Center Wednesday afternoon to find out where they would play the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

Xavier had to wait until the last of the six regional sites were announced, but eventually landed in the Las Vegas Regional on May 6-8 at Spanish Trail Country Club. Xavier needs a top-5 finish in the 12-team regional to secure its first-ever berth in the NCAA Championships, held in Carlsbad, California May 17-22.

“These last four days have been crazy,” Welch said. “I never actually thought this would come true. It’s been a dream for a long time and I’m excited to see what this can do in Vegas.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Xavier golfer Emma Welch conquered mental game for Big East title