Wake Forest Athletics
"Go Deacs" Heard Often at US Women's Open
6/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
June 28, 2014
By BRAD KING -- Triad Golf Today
With alumni that include Arnold Palmer, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Bill Haas and Webb Simpson, the Wake Forest men's golf team has long been an NCAA standard bearer renowned for producing not only college championships but also a steady flow of PGA Tour standouts.
Not to be outdone, under 26-year coach Dianne Dailey, the Wake Forest women's squad has forged a pretty impressive resume of its own. Through the years, Dailey has coached a dozen players who have been named All-America 23 times, seven players who have been named Academic All-America 13 times, four ACC Players of the Year and three ACC Rookies of the Year.
Her teams have been to 21 NCAA Regionals and 13 NCAA Championships. In fact, with a trio of Wake Forest products in the field, the recent U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst No. 2 - just 90 miles southeast of Winston-Salem - turned into a celebration of recent Demon Deacon success.
The final player to earn a spot in the U.S. Open field was a Wake Forest grad. And she was also the one with far and away the most Pinehurst experience. Winston-Salem resident and former Wake Forest two-time first team All-American Laura Diaz, 39, returned to Pinehurst for her 14th U.S. Women's Open thanks to a bit of good fortune. She earned the first-alternate spot at the sectional qualifier in Butler, Pa., on May 12, then made the field after Inbee Park, who was already exempt, won the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.
Diaz, who has two LPGA Tour victories, enjoyed her best U.S. Open finish in 2002 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., where she tied for seventh after holding the lead after the first two rounds. Diaz recorded a top 10 finish at some point in her career at each installment of the women's majors. Her best appearance was a second-place finish in 2001 at the LPGA Championship.
Diaz also has plenty of good experience at Pinehurst No. 2. Under her maiden name, Laura Philo, she won a North & South Women's Amateur Championship in 1995.
"Oh boy ... great memories," said Diaz, who defeated Kellee Booth 7 and 6 to win the title following her sophomore year at Wake Forest. "My first time here was an amazing experience. My brother (Ron Philo, now a PGA professional) caddied for me, so having him on my bag and making a lot of birdies, that's what I remember the most."
Cheyenne Woods, a 2012 Wake Forest graduate, was one of the best players to ever don the Old Gold and Black. She set the career scoring average at 74.31 and also had three of the top-six lowest single-season averages, including the school record of 73.47 as a sophomore.
Better known thus far in her career for being Tiger Woods' niece, Cheyenne was named an All- American two times and was one of three Demon Deacons to be named All-ACC three times. Woods put together two rounds of 73 and 68 at Country Club at D.C. Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., to qualify for her second U.S. Women's Open. She recorded the first win of her professional career earlier this season in Europe and currently plays on the Symetra Tour, a mini-tour a level below the LPGA tour.
Rising sophomore Sierra Sims, 18, of Austin, Texas, accompanied Woods at Pinehurst. Sims was the Deacons top golfer this season, finishing T41st in the ACC Tournament. She had a stroke average of 75.28 on the season and made it into the U.S. Women's Open field as an alternate when an exempt player had to back out.
Sims played in her first major, having never played Pinehurst No. 2 until her Monday and Tuesday practice rounds. On Monday, Sims played a practice round with Diaz and eventual tournament champion Michelle Wie. Sims said that knowing Diaz - whose husband, Kevin, is an assistant coach at Wake Forest - helped calm her nerves.
"This is the highest achievement in my golf career," Sims said. "But it feels just like any other USGA event that I've played in, only with more people watching. Qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open is something I've wanted to accomplish for many years and in many ways I'm happy it happened now because the amount of experience I have has led to overwhelmed and nervous feelings fading away."
Diaz shot rounds of 75 and 72 to make the cut. With family and friends from Winston-Salem wearing "Dazzling `em, Diaz" T-shirts, she closed strong with a 73 on Sunday to finish tied for 49th, the eighth top-50 U.S. Women's Open of her storied career.
Diaz said being a local favorite - and a Demon Deacon - had its benefits.
"I'm so thrilled my families and friends could be here," Diaz said. "When I came out here there were no Deacons and now we have a huge representation on the Symetra Tour. It's exciting for Wake Forest to have their representation here, in Pinehurst, because it's like home.
"Wake Forest has an outstanding program," Diaz said. "I think recently the buzz is there, the excitement is there. It gives us a better opportunity to get the best players and give them an opportunity to take their games to the next level. They are given the opportunity. They are given the facilities. They've just got to want to take the time to do it. College is difficult. The advantage our players have, both men and women, is that the facility is on campus.
"Of course," Diaz added, "I also think the women's program is getting better because my husband is the assistant coach."
Woods (78, 75) and Sims (79, 79) both missed the cut, which was 9-over. Nevertheless, Sims - who said a number of her Wake Forest friends who are taking summer school classes made the drive to Pinehurst to watch her in action - added that her time in Pinehurst was an experience she would never forget.
"It was really special to have Cheyenne and Laura in the field because even though we competed against each other, the Wake Forest bond holds us together," Sims said.
Players Mentioned
