From the beginning of women’s golf to Pat Weis
Before Title IX, the AIAW, and the NCAA, women’s sports at Texas had already built a strong foundation at the Intramural level. The slide show below represents the long but successful climb for Women’s equal rights in intercollegiate sports.
History of Longhorn women’s golf from 1957-2014
Coach Pat Weis- 1957-1993
Pat Weis Is “The Architect Of The Texas Longhorn Women’s Golf Team” Pat Weis Quotes
“A Good Team Can’t Have A Whole Bunch Of Leaders.”
After Coming Close To Winning Two National Championships, She Says, “Winning Simply Cannot Be Your Only Goal. One Team And Only One Team Wins..”
Pat Weis was hired in 1957 as a P.E. teacher. In 1967, she became the first women’s varsity golf coach. From 1967 -1973, Coach Weis was unsalaried and unbudgeted. Her salary primarily came from teaching as an associate professor in the physical education department.
After Title IX in 1972, she was hired as the part-time varsity golf coach; It was not until 1980 that Coach Weis became the full-time coach of the women’s University of Texas Golf team. In 1982 the NCAA finally sanctioned women’s sports.
Coach Weis was the Longhorn Golf Coach from – 1957- 1993
During her tenure, Weis was involved in many significant changes in women’s golf. The changes included:
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a change in the ruling body of college sports from the AIAW to the NCAA;
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changes in recruiting techniques and scholarship offers;
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changes in Golf rules and
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changes from a sports program dominated by men to a sports program dominated by great women and men. Harvey Penick was one of the first golf instructors who understood that talent is not gendered exclusive.
Much of the research for this section was derived from Mickie Edwards’s incredibly informative “Book Life of Coach: The Story of Pat Weis.”
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The UT women’s golf program started in 1969.
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Weis was a member of the rules committee for the Senior PGA tour;
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a 2001 Hall of Honor inductee;
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part of the NCAA Championship tournaments 24 times;
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Coach for 3 Big 12 Champion and 7 SWC champions;
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Her teams were included in the top 10 Nationally 11 times;
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She coached 11 All-Americans, 4 SWC players of the year, 3 Honda-Broderick Award winners, one AIAW National Champion, one National Player of the Year, and one NCAA tournament medalist and
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5 of Coach Weis’s golfers make the 1980’s All-Decade team -Kate Golden, Sherri Steinhauer, Sue Ginter, and Nancy Ledbetter. Machiko Hattori is the MVP of the 1980’s All-decade team.
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Weis earned five 5 Conference Coach of the Year Awards, 2 National Coach of the Year Awards, and one Gladys Palmer Award.
To buy Coach Weis’s book click on the link below.
University of Texas Women’s Golf 1969-2014
1972- Coach Weis
Since sanctioned as either an AIAW or NCAA sport, the women’s golf team has won four Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship titles (1997, 2004, 2011, and 2017) and ten Southwest Conference titles (1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996). They were the runner-up for the 1993 NCAA Division I Golf Championship. Between 1974 and 1982, UT had six Top-10 AIAW Championship finishes and seven Top-5 state finishes. These stats only include women’s golf history through 2017)
1973- Coach Weis
Nancy Hager was the medalist in the state meet and finished 3rd at the National competition.
Title IX becomes law.
Nancy Hager sets the women’s Morris Williams Golf Tournament record. Her caddy was Ben Crenshaw.
1974- Coach Weis
The 1974 intramural golf team Norton, Blacklock, back Nichols, Lee Collins, Marcum
In 1974 the Betsy Rawls tournament was started by Pat Weiss. Horns won the SWC championship.
First year for the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Program. The budget for all seven women’s sports was $27,000. Women’s golf received $220 of the budget. Coach Weis managed the Golf team in her spare time and worked full-time as a teacher. With no budget to travel, Weis decided to bring top-level women’s golf to Austin and started the annual Betsy Rawls Invitational, named after the 1950 Texas graduate who became a 40-time tour champion in 1974. The tournament held its 46th event in October 2019.
Nancy Hager is ineligible because she went to school outside of the country.
By 1976 the name of the invitational tournament is named after Betsy Rawls.
Pat was on the 1973 and 1974 AIAW Golf Committee.
1974 is the first year of four-member teams. The women’s scores are combined to determine the winner.
Nancy is a two-handicap on the team.
1975 – Coach Weis
The team at the nationals was one short, while the other teams had five golfers. Why? One Longhorn dropped off the team in the winter. The four were Nancy Hager, Jan Rapp, Carla Spenkoch, and Debbie Norton. Nancy Hager was the team leader for the year. Nancy was a medalist in 4 tournaments during the year. Jan Rapp was first on scholarship in Tennis. This was Pat’s second team in 9 years to attend the national meet.
1974 is the first year of four-member teams. All the women’s scores are combined to determine the winner. Nancy Hager, who had a two-handicap, was the medalist at the Betsy Rawls Invitational. She capped off the year as the golf team’s MVP.
Nancy Hager finished 5th in the AIAW individual rankings in 1975. She was also the medalist at the Betsy Rawls Invitational in 1974 and 1975 and the team MVP in 1974.
1976-Coach Weis- Horns finish 6 in the National meet.
The first “official” team.
Lopiano is hired as the Women’s Athletic Director. The golf team decides not to join the SWC. The team is 14th in the AIAW National Championship tournament. Since the budget is minimal, there are no uniforms until an Austin doctor contributes funds to purchase the clothing. Cathy Bertram remembered how hard it was to find burnt orange accessories for the team and that Coach Weis had to wash all the Longhorn clothes.
Carla Spenkoch is MVP in 1975
1976-1977-Coach Weis – State champion
1977 women’s golf top Leach, Norton, Spenkoch, Staton, Lincoln, Bertram Coach Weis, front Kinder, Avery Bragdon, Huxhold
1976 Spenkoch
Lori Huxhold was the medalist for the Championship team in 1977.
The team is 8th in the AIAW National Championship tournament.
For the first time, on May 8th, 1977, the tower was orange for a women’s SWC championship.
1977-1978-Coach Weis- TAIAW Champs and 3rd in the National meet
The golf team is 3rd in the AIAW National championship tournament.
1977-1978 Coach Weis finished 4th in Nation in the AIAW
This year the team learns to gracefully accept defeat, finishing anywhere from 2nd place to 7th place in tournament play.
The team is 14th in the AIAW National championship tournament.
Coach Weiss is still a part-time Longhorn women’s golf coach, but the budgets start to increase so the Longhorns offer more golf scholarships.
Debbie Petrizzi finishes as #1 AIAW National Championship medalist in 1978. She is an All American, HOH inductee, and the Honda Broderick Award winner for National Collegiate Golfer of the year. She is one of only three Horns that have won the individual title at the National Championship tournament.
Bari Brandwynne’s is the daughter of a bandleader at Ceaser’s in Vegas who has two celebrity friends – Mac Davis and Don Cherry. They tell Coach Weis how great a golfer Bari is. But since the recruiting rules in 1978 state that a university could not recruit a women athlete or pay her way on a recruiting trip, Bari drives herself and her two dogs to Austin for the interview with Coach Weis. She signs a Letter of Intent.
Pat Weiss Notes in 1978 are below .
1979-Coach Weis finished 4th in the TAIAW
After Bari Brandwynne graduated from Texas, she played the European tour and then landed at The Los Angeles Country Club. She was not only a PGA member but the 1st WOMAN PGA employee since 1897 at the club. I’ve been there 36 years now!!!
Coach Weis said Cindy Figg was a great leader for the team.
Coach Weis is selected chairperson for the All-American selection committee.
Lori Huxhold is a stand out player on the 1979 team.
Jackie Daiss is the only girl player on the boy’s high school team. Her golf talents are featured in Sports Illustrated.
The team is 8th in the AIAW National championship.
Bari Brandwynne is medalist at the Betsy Rawls’ Invitational in 1979.
This team finished high in tournament play.
1980-Coach Weis- TAIAW champs and 7th nationally
Coach Weiss is hired as a full-time coach for the Women’s golf team, and the Athletic Department pays her full salary. Slow start but a beautiful finish as the Horns won the TAIAW state championship with Lori Huxhold winning the medalist honors.
The team is 7th in the AIAW National championship.
1981- Coach Weis Team is 3rd in the AIAW National championship
The first time that Coach Weis split her golf team up, sending one group to California and the other to Bryan Tx. The experience was needed for all the golfers. This was one of Coach Weis’s best teams, with Pettrizzi, Figg, and Brandywynne leading the way.
Weis says for the first time; she has depth on the team. The freshman class this year is strong. – Kim Shipman, Debbie Wright, and Nancy Ledbetter. “We have 8 or nine golfers who could press for the starting 5,” said Weis.
1982- Coach Weis- finished 2nd in the nation
1982 Jackie Daiss Patty Ritter-Pressman Bari Brandwynne Cindy Figg Coach Weis Kathryn Riviere Nancy Ledbetter Kim Shipman Wendy Scheifele Sherri Steinhauer Susan Watkins Debbie Greiner Meredith McCuaig
Texas finished second to Tulsa by 3 strokes for the AIAW national championship. Texas was 2nd out of 23 teams.
TOP OF THE CHARTS 1982
Nancy Ledbetter finished 5th in the AIAW individual rankings.
Coach Weis says to those who would listen that it is difficult for freshmen to adjust from golf as an individual sport in high school to golf as a team sport in college.
For 8 years in a row the Lady Longhorns win the TAIAW state tournament with the low scoring average.
1982-1983 pending -Coach Weis- 15th at the NCAA
Debra Greiner makes her first start on the Texas women’s golf team.
This is Texas’s first year to play under NCAA rules. In order to give student-athletes a chance to enjoy the college environment, the NCAA limits practice time to 20 hours a week. Golf scholarships are cut from 8 to 6 by the NCAA.
The team is victorious in three tournaments and places 15th in the NCAA Championship.
Sherri Steinhauer is medalist at the Lady Gator Tournament. Horns get a- at large birth- to the NCAA tournament.
Kim Shipman says of Coach Weis “Being able to coach and organize all kinds of personalities takes a big heart, a quick wit, and aged Scotch.”
Texas qualified for national every year since the sport attained varsity status in 1975. This is the year that the NCAA replaced the AIAW as the official organization for collegiate women’s sports.
1984- pending-Coach Weis win the SWC
Texas won 2 regular-season tournaments and outclassed the SWC field by 27 strokes. This team just missed a top 10 finish.
Ledbetter is SWC medalist and the team wins by 27 strokes . Steinhauer was rated by Golf Digest as the 7th best amateur in America and she is an alternate on the United States Curtis Cup team.
The team wins one tournament and the SWC Championship.
Nancy Ledbetter is the SWC individual championship and the MVP of the team.
Texas finished 11th at the NCAA championship.
LPGA names Coach Weis College Golf Coach of the Year
1985-Coach Weis
Sue Ginter is the 1984 Conference Player of the Year and MVP in 1985.
Kate Golden finishes tied for 9th in the NCAA individual rankings in 1989. Her father Joe Bob Golden was on the Longhorn men’s golf team in 1951.
Sherri Steinhauer is a first-team All American and finished 42nd in the NCAA Championship. In the book Life of Coach by Mickie Edwards, Sherri is quoted as saying, “Coach Weis didn’t try to instruct her players about how to play golf. She never worked with us on swing specifics. She would give us tips and goals to strive for, but she left the golfing mechanics up to our pros.”
The Betsy Rawls tournament is renamed the “McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic.”
1986-Coach Weis
Jenny Germs from Johannesburg is the first foreign player to receive a Longhorn Golf Scholarship.
Kate Golden won the SWC individual Championship three times while at Texas.
The team wins two tournaments, including the SWC championship.
The team places 17th in the NCAA Championship.
1987 SWC Champs Weis is SWC Coach of the Year
The Golf team wins six tournaments, including the SWC championship.
The team places 7th in the NCAA Championship.
The Longhorns successfully recruited their first US Amateur Champion- Michiko Hattori.
Coach Weis changed her practice schedule to focus more on individual play rather than team play. The new approach is successful and boosts team morale. Finally, after 13 years, the Longhorns win their host tournament.
Coach Weis says this was one of her best teams. The National Golf Coaches Association named her National Coach of the Year.
In her 12-year tenure as the Texas golf coach, Weis has only failed once to qualify at least one individual for the NCAA tournament. Kate Golden, Cindy Haley, and Jenny Germs gave the Horns the needed edge to succeed in 1987. Lisa DePaulo’s back problems healed, and she led the team to a top-5 finish in four tournaments.
1988- Coach Weis – First in the SWC
Texas won its second consecutive SWC championship with the widest victory margin ever in SWC play. Hattori was the medalist, winning five of the ten tournaments this year. Weis was coach of the year for the second time. Four members made the All-SWC team: Ginter, Brown, Golden, and Hattori.
Ginger Brown and Sue Ginter
Horns break an SWC record for the widest victory margin. Hattori was the medalist. She won 5 of the team’s tournaments.
TOPPING THE CHARTS 1988- Faith
The team wins four tournaments, including the SWC championship.
Places 11th in the NCAA Championship.
Coach Weis’s record at Texas is impressive. As of 1988, her golf teams had qualified for the National Championship venue in all but two years.
Jenny Germs is the Horn’s longest hitter, and Weiss says that Jenny is one of the top 10 best collegiate players in 1988.
1989 -Coach Weis- SWC champions
1989 teams weakness is putting
Kate Golden
Piper Wagner- 1987-1982 “Piper UP”
Piper says in the book Life of Coach by Mickie Edwards that at a certain moment and time, ” I wasn’t a very good golfer.” Other teammates “were tough and seemed able to take the ups and downs of competing with each other and another team as well.” “My biggest challenge was growing up mentally and fitting in. I had to learn how to handle life. For me, the pressure was so intense.” Piper accomplishes her college goals.
In March 2011, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her teammates and friends started a “Piper UP” charity bike ride to honor her. 15,000 white wristbands were sold to help Piper and raise awareness of Lung cancer. Piper passed away in August of 2014, but she left a great Legacy, and in 2014, her Longhorn friends dedicated the 2014 Weis Cup to Piper.
The Horns are SWC champions of the SWC and the number-one qualifier for the NCAA tournament. After the first day, they are 19 shots down and never recover. The team finishes 10th.
When Coach Weis was asked why some of her players lacked discipline, she said, “Advanced athletic skill does not automatically come with the responsibility of maturity!”
Jaime Fischer is the SWC individual title winner and an academic all-American. After leaving the tour, she coaches as a master instructor. Golf for Women Magazine named her one of the top 50 instructors.
Texas enters the NCAA tournament as #1, but as Pat Weis, the Horns had a “ very disappointing tournament.” Kate Golden at the NCAA tournament leads the team to finish 9th, but the season is a disappointment, with the Horns finishing tied with Stanford for 10th place. Michiko Hattori had a tough tournament due to an injury to her finger.
1989- 1990-Coach Weis- SWC champions
The Women’s golfing team wins their 4th consecutive SWC. Michiko Hattori tied for 2nd in the SWC.
The team has won two tournaments, including the SWC championship. Machiko is also the SWC player of the year.
Team Places 7th in the NCAA Championship
Tom Kite’s connections helped the Longhorns recruit Machiko. Coach Weis said that Michiko was ” one of her best athletes at managing her game.
Michiko Hattori finishes 2nd in the NCAA National Championship medalist competition and she wins the Honda Broderick Award for National Collegiate Golfer of the year. In 1989 she receives the Eleanor Dudley Award. She also finishes tied for 7th in 1988 and ties for 6th place in 1991 in the NCAA Individual rankings.
Machiko holds the Texas record for the most times to make the All-American team (4). She was also named SWC Athlete of the decade for golf ( 1982-1992).
1990-1991 cOACH Weis 5th consecutive SWC championship
Jamie Fischer is the SWC medalist.
Lisa States that Coach Weis benched her before the team went to San Diego for a tournament. It was Lisa’s hometown, and her parents still lived there. She was furious and resorted to begging to change Coaches to change her mind. Lisa learned that Coach never messed around, and like many other “incorrigible” players, she learned that to play at tournaments, you had to earn the spot.
1991-1992- cOACH Weis- Finished second at the SWC tournament but recovered to finish 6TH nationally.
Piper Wagner was the only senior on this team. There were many questions about its quality, but those thoughts were misplaced. The Longhorns once again were a top-10 NCAA golf team, at #6.
Nadine Cooper, a Sophomore, walks on and wins a place on the team. Nadine learned golf from Harvey Penick, and Nadine Ash and Nicole Cooper are chosen to join a United States team at the World University Golf Championship in Madrid, Spain. Nicole wins the tournament, and the United States wins as a team.
Jenny Turner is the highest finisher from the state of Texas at the NCAA tournament. She finished 2nd at the SWC meet.
The team is victorious in five tournaments, including the SWC championship.
1992- 1993-Coach Weis SWC and 2nd in the Nation.
Nadine Ash (1992-1993) – Conference player of the year.
Coach says the 1992-1993 team was the most unselfish team she coached. Each player supported the effort of their teammates
The Horns won the SWC by 54 strokes, their seventh championship. Nadine Ash was the SWC player of the year, and Coach Weis was the SWC Coach of the year. The Horns had the top four scores at the SWC championship.
Nadine Ash, Charlotta Sorenstam, head coach Pat Weis, Angela Wray, Jenny Turner, and Nicole Cooper
After 20 years as head coach of the Longhorn women’s golf team, Pat Weis retires. Nadine Cash, Angela Wray, and Jenny Turner made sure that Pat’s last year was a success with a 4th place finish at nationals. Ash was the SWC player of the year, and Weis was the Coach of the Year.
After a player begs Coach Weis to play her in a tournament, Coach says, “Let your clubs do the talking, not your mouth!”.
Charlotta Sorenstam was the #1 NCAA National Championship medalist in 1993 and won the Honda Broderick Award for National Collegiate Golfer of the Year. She also finished #1 in the NCAA individual rankings in 1993 and was a first-team All-American.
Nicole Cooper walks on to make the UT women’s golf team. With special instruction from Harvey Penick, she develops into a consummate golfer. She and Nadine Cash represent the USA in the World University Golf Championship in Madrid, Spain. Nicole took individual honors, and the USA won as a team. Her final two holes of the match were a pressure cooker, but Harvey’s comment helped smooth her nerves. He said to her before she left for the tournament, ” take dead aim” She did!!!!
Reflection Point
1993—The Weis Cup annual event was started as a way for current and former players to compete against each other.
Coach Weis continued the history of great coaches at Texas. While she never produced an NCAA champion she was within 2 strokes of winning it all on two separate occasions.
Her teams won 7 of the 10 SWC championships during her tenure. More importantly, 93% of her eligible players graduated.
To read more about UT women’s Golf program and Pat Weis there is a great book available.
Coming from a teaching background , Coach Weis is proud of her near perfect graduation rate at Texas more than the number of Texas players on the LPGA tour.
