The No. 22-ranked Arizona women’s golf team tees off its season on Monday for the Thunderbird Collegiate hosted by Lorena Ochoa at the Tucson Country Club. 

The two-day tournament on Monday and Tuesday will be the only home event for the Wildcats this season. The first two rounds on Monday will have a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The start time for the final round on Tuesday has yet to be announced. 

The Thunderbird Collegiate will have 15 teams, including No. 1 Stanford, No. 18 Arizona State, No. 20 Oklahoma and No. 21 Baylor. Other schools include Grand Canyon, Texas Tech, Colorado, Marshall and Wisconsin, among others.

“We’re very excited about hosting,” said second-year head coach Giovana Maymon. “We have great teams coming. … It’ll be some good competition. A lot of Top 20 teams.” 

Arizona is coming off a season that resulted in a Big 12 championship and a trip to the NCAA Regionals. Maymon, who succeeded longtime head coach Laura Ianello last season, was named Big 12 Coach of the Year. 

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First-year Arizona women’s golf coach Giovana Maymon (far right) and her Wildcats finished first overall in Maymon’s first tournament at the helm of the UA program, winning the Folds of Honor Collegiate on Sept. 11, 2024, in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Arizona Athletics via X (Twitter)

The Wildcats played in multiple tournaments during the fall and won the NB3 Matchplay event, beating fourth-ranked Texas A&M — Maymon’s previous coaching stop — and handed the Aggies their only loss of the fall season.

“We had a lot of momentum going (in the fall),” Maymon said. “We started a little rough, but then we got better in every single event. The girls got better every event, which is something you want to see. Getting better all season was great, everybody worked hard, and now we’re very excited about (the spring).”

Now the Wildcats are gearing up for their spring schedule, which will start with a home tournament hosted by one of the greatest golfers in UA history — and one of the greatest women’s golfers of all time. 

Ochoa, who’s in the World Golf Hall of Fame, was named the NCAA Player of the Year in 2001 and ’02 and had runner-up finishes at the national championship. She led the Wildcats to a Pac-10 championship in 2001, and won seven straight tournaments in 2002. 

Ochoa turned pro after two seasons at the UA and became a 27-time winner on the LPGA Tour. Her wins are tied for the 19th-most in LPGA Tour history. 

Maymon joined “Spears & Ali” on ESPN Tucson to preview the Wildcats’ upcoming season, players to watch and Ochoa’s impact, among other topics.

What did you learn from your first season as head coach, and how do you apply those lessons to this season?

A: “It’s crazy. Everyone asks me, ‘Were you ready for this?’ No! You’re never ready, but you just need to take it. For me, it’s all about the student-athletes. We live in a changing environment in athletics, and they’re going through it all, too. As a young head coach and new head coach, I’m not afraid to ask questions. You need to ask questions and make sure you’re getting help from everybody and adapting to the changing environment. But it needs to be about the student-athletes.

“There’s so many things you need to handle, but the main focus has to be the kids; that’s the main lesson. They’re great people, so treat them like people more than players.

“Recruiting is huge, too, and getting great players who work hard. If you set up a great example, you can create a great culture, even in this environment and the change we’re going through.” 

Arizona golfer Julia Misemer parlayed her second place individual finish at the NCAA Tournament’s Raleigh Regional into an 11th place finish at the Southwestern Amateur in Scottsdale before winning medalist honors at the U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, also in Scottsdale, on May 30.

Courtesy Arizona Athletics

How much has the Clements Golf Center at Tucson Country Club impacted your program?

A: “It’s a dream come true. I don’t know how they did it without this. It’s our home. I think I actually spend more time there than my actual home. To me, it’s amazing and everything we could ever dream of. The girls and the guys have a place they could call home. They have the best time working and developing, so that’s been a huge advantage for our current kids and recruiting.

“I don’t say this enough, but we have the best weather in the country. People were dying of cold the last two weeks and it’s been unbelievable to be outside and it’s 75 degrees. Even for our home event, we have a lot of northern schools coming just because of weather. We’re lucky to have that and to have a facility that can facilitate that, as well.” 

Senior Nena Wongthanavimok is expected to be one of your top players this year. How is she playing entering the season?

A: “She’s great. She’s one of the leaders of our team this year. She’s full of energy, always willing to help and get better. Nena is awesome. I wish we had more time and we could keep her. I’m really excited for her spring season. Her fall season was OK by her standards. She was like, ‘I need to get better, I need to work harder.’

“She’s in a really good spot right now. I’m very excited for the spring and her last semester. We’re taking it day by day and making her grow. She’s grown so much, so we’re ready for her last year here.” 

Who else is expected to lead the Wildcats this season?

A: “Charlotte Back is the best player on our team right now. She’s from Germany and she’s ranked in the Top 10 for college and Top 15 in the world. She was just invited to the Augusta Women’s Amateur in April, so we’re very excited for her. She’s the most solid, most consistent player I’ve ever coached. This kid doesn’t miss a fairway or green. More than a player, she’s a terrific person. She does everything for the team. She’s literally the perfect student-athlete and golfer I could’ve possibly asked for. Very excited for her. 

“We also have Julia Misemer. This kid is the kind of kid that has class at 10 (a.m.) and goes to practice from 7-9 (a.m.) to get more hours in and then goes to school and comes back to practice. … We have three freshmen. We have Kinsley (Ni) and she’s ranked in the Top 15 for college rankings. … We have a lot of great kids. We’re young with three freshmen, but we’re excited for the spring. They all bring a lot of energy and effort to create a good culture and results, of course.”

How would you describe the emotions of winning the program’s first-ever Big 12 championship in your first season at the helm? 

A: “There’s no words. I couldn’t even believe it when it happened. I won it as a player when I was at Baylor and then as a coach at Arizona. It’s an honor. At the end of the day, it feels like another tournament, because you go back (to Tucson) the next day and then go to (NCAA) Regionals.

“Once we got the rings, it sunk in more and it was something they could take with them for their whole life. The first Big 12 championship for the school, that’s something they could never take away from us. It’s so special and I’m really looking forward to defending it again this year.” 

What is the importance of Ochoa returning to Arizona to help host the only tournament in Tucson this season?

A: “Lorena has not only been great for the Mexican world of golf with how much it has grown, but in Arizona, she’s one of the best golfers. Her records, what she’s done for the community of golf, what she’s accomplished in college, every kid wants to do it. All of her records are unbelievable. She’s an amazing person.

Lorena Ochoa won seven straight tournaments in 2002.

Ron Medvescek, Arizona Daily Star

“She wasn’t as involved with the school before, and with me coming in and having a previous relationship with her, we want her more involved. … One of her strongest aspects was her mental game. She’s trying to help our kids with that aspect. I’m looking forward for her to being involved with Arizona and coming back to a place she once called home.” 

Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports

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