Bella McCauley calls Big Ten golf title ‘Something you dream about as a kid’

Gophers’ sophomore sensation Isabella McCauley won her first Big Ten title and is headed to the NCAA Regionals in Alabama.

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well I guess we’ll just start with I
mean start with the obvious what’s
what’s it like to be a big 10 champion
in only your second year with this
program it’s got to be a thrill oh
absolutely words cannot describe the
feeling it is to be a big 10 Champion
you know it’s something you dream about
as a kid and you never I never thought
it would actually happen and it has a
really nice thing to it right exactly
take me through that that Sunday I mean
I’ve heard multiple stories but you know
you were I think you were one over going
into it you were probably not thinking
about being winning a title that day but
then you obviously on your life just
kind of what was your mentality going
into Sunday yeah absolutely so I was one
over uh going into Sunday and leaders
were six under so I was seven back it
wasn’t even crossing my mind that a
title was was plausible and kind of what
was actually going through my mind is so
half of our team is graduating this year
so was really it was emotional time for
kind of a lot of the seniors and so I
was kind of I was trying to be there for
them and um really just savored the
moments with them so it was kind of a
very Bittersweet moment but at the same
time going into the round you know I
knew we had a job to finish and I was
just trying to you know end strong end
the regular season strong and and play a
great round and it definitely exceeded
the
expectations when would you say you kind
of had a sense that it was going to be a
day that was different from I mean I
know obviously you’re consistent you’re
a good when would you say it was maybe a
little different like I could do
something special no absolutely that the
turning point in the round or where it
especially hit where I was like okay
this is going to be a really cool round
was whole nine it’s uh it’s a dog League
left and it’s the Green’s kind of
surrounded by water and I had I had a
shot in the rough from pretty far away
and I hit it to a foot I I was just
trying not to go in the water and it
actually turned out way better than I
thought that I had thought and I had
planned and I was like okay wow this is
going to be a really cool day and then I
followed it up with birdies on we
started on the back n so then I followed
it up with birdies on one two three so I
ended up having four in a row and then
just continued in there um so that was
that was definitely uh the the turning
point or where I kind of thought it was
going to be pretty cool when did you
have a sense that you might have a
chance at being a champ I don’t know if
they update you on scores throughout the
day I don’t know if you know where
you’re at you have a sense that you
might have a chance to do this I knew
heading into like 13 14 that I was
pretty close at that point I was about I
was about six under five under and so I
was kind of like okay I know I know
leaders have to be pretty close to me um
then the cameras crew camera Cruise came
out once I made my last birdie and uh
and I was like okay I know I know I have
to be really close I I still didn’t know
until 18 when I asked my coach where I
was at and heading into the I was right
before I hit my shot into the green I
was like hey I just want to know so I
knew how know how to aggressive I need
to be here and she’s like hey you’re TI
for the lead and that definitely made
the next couple of shots more a
nerve-wracking but super fun when you
when you you realize that you are
sharing that title I think you shared it
with two other players yeah when you
realize that I did it I’m the coig 10
Champion what was kind of the first
thing that went through your mind it was
it was really a weird flood of emotions
because actually the other two were
still out in the course so I didn’t know
what whether to start celebrating or
didn’t know if it was even going to be a
title at all so a huge Flo of Ray of
emotions when I saw the girl Bogey and
then almost birdie and missed the put so
just it was it was kind of a really
crazy thing not really knowing what to
feel but um when that last put dropped
and I officially knew I mean it was just
it was such a cool feeling I had my
family there had the team there and um
it couldn’t be any nothing better than
celebrating with those people I was
going to say take me through that moment
when you know you clenched it and you’re
probably going to a regional I mean what
what does that mean to you when when
what’s that moment like yeah so my dad
was there some family friends were there
our team and obviously a lot of them
it’s their last year and so it was just
it it was so beyond special to have them
there they’re they’re the most amazing
supportive teammates and um they were
all fired up my dad was fired up the
whole day and so we had the whole club
house
cheering you’ve been on golf’s biggest
stage virtually every level that there
can be for the women’s game I mean what
does it mean for you to be the first
Solo or the first coig 10 champion at
Minnesota in 35 years oh man you know I
I don’t even think words can express
like how how grateful and blessed I feel
to to be called that and be up with some
of the best names that there are um you
know I I think going into the season it
was nothing I had expected at all and
and you really try to have a low level
of expectations just because you never
know that’s how sports are some some
days you win some days you lose and so I
really try to not have a level of
expectation but this succeeded far
beyond any goals I had or or anything
like that so um the special the feeling
is so special how do you also try to mix
that humility with confidence because
you clearly got game I mean how do you
mix those two you know I I think there’s
a clear difference between being
confident and being you know full of
yourself there’s there’s definitely a
huge difference there um you you go out
in the course and and you know you can
play you know you can compete with the
best out there and um I I fully know
that inside but at the same time you
also know that that golf can be pretty
brutal and I go out there and shoot 80
just as just as well as I could shoot 65
and so it golf’s a humbling game and I
think it does that in and of itself but
um you know my faith keeps me very
grounded and my family does and that’s
that’s definitely what I credit that to
so I hear 64 is your second lowest score
ever and it’s your highest score as a
Collegiate golfer I mean that’s a score
that I’ll never touch what does it take
to have that kind of score you know you
really just have to keep the keep the
momentum going on a day like that there
can’t there’s got to be a lot birdies
you got to be really feeling so I feel
like I feel like at any time you know I
can turn around around you know if I’m
playing bad and get a couple string of
birdies in a row but around like that
you definitely have to just stay
consistent you have to be feeling it
making a lot of putts and uh and I I was
feeling it that day once I got on the
course and started hitting my first
couple holes I’m like okay this could be
a pretty cool day any sense I mean
obviously you’ve been to Regionals
before this is your second straight year
but I mean there’s always still going be
nervous when you hit that first shot
what is that going to be like when
you’re head into Auburn to to to play in
the regional I’m so excited I have never
been to Auburn before so this is going
to be a really fun experience I have
played in the South a good amount so I’m
really excited to see the course and um
have that experience with my coaches
you’re always nervous heading into any
tournament I think that’s the same for
any competitor um that’s just the comp
competitor and fighter in me but I I’m
just going to be excited and honored to
be a part of it and enjoy the ride
what’s it like to be able to share this
program with your sister next year oh
that’s going to be so fun so Rees is is
a senior this year she’s joined in the
fall and her and I uh we’re we’re we’re
best of friends and so to be able to be
on the same team again together we were
in high school and we will next year
it’s going to be just memories that
we’ll have for a lifetime you know
traveling together being on the same
team all the team bonding stuff I mean
it’s just it’s it’s something I can’t
wait for I guess lastly T take me
through what after
regionals obviously you aspire to get to
the main tournament too but uh I don’t
know what your summer inail I mean
obviously you’re going to compete a
fairm I would assume maybe try qualify
for another US Women’s Open just what is
your summer inail before you get back at
it next year yeah absolutely so right
after postseason I have the US Open
qualifier I’m traveling down to Illinois
to do that with my uncle and then I plan
on trying to qualify for the US Women’s
am later in the summer as well it’ll be
kind of a a pretty relaxed summer in the
sense of a little less tournaments I’ll
be playing a lot of golf but uh you know
we’ve got we’ve got season right ahead
in September so it comes quick and and
I’ll definitely be doing a lot of
gearing up for that how how much did
your phone blow up when you when you the
phone blew up like crazy uh Minnesota
golf world’s very small everyone knows
everyone so words spread fast I probably
had like 100 200 messages by the end of
by the end of Monday I was was pretty
crazy