Golf season is just a couple weeks away at Florida Gulf Coast University, so training is well underway for the Eagles. This fall, Lousiane Gauthier is laser focused on her junior season on the women's golf team. But she's coming back to campus with some major accolades from the summer break.
Gauthier, from Canelones, Uruguay, competed in her home country in June at the Uruguayan National Match Play tournament and earned first place for the second consecutive year. In late July, Gauthier hoisted another first place trophy, coming in first at the 93rd Brazilian Women's Amateur Championship.
"The Brazilian amateur is a very big tournament, especially in South America," said FGCU head women's golf coach, Shannon Sykora. "She's been just practicing real hard. Four days on a very good golf course. Just super proud of the way she's played."
"It was just nice," Gauthier said modestly. "It's so good going into the tournament knowing I just was there to see what score I could pick up from the course."
At the Brazilian Women's AM, Gauthier entered the last round trailing by one stroke, but rallied back to win it all by five strokes.
"It was just a really long final round," said Gauthier. "I was just thinking of just finishing and trying to not do much from there, just pars. I was just happy that I played pretty good."
Gauthier says the courses that she plays here in Southwest Florida and when travelling with FGCU have helped her prepare for these international tournaments.
"Just playing so many tournaments here that I wouldn't be able to play at home, and especially the amount of players that play," said Gauthier. "Here, the fields are going to be like maybe like 80 players but at home it’s like half. So it's just more competitive here and then when you go and play other tournaments, they maybe feel easier."
With two new trophies sitting atop her shelf, the pursuit to pick up more is about to begin.
"Hopefully it's momentum for us heading into the fall," said Sykora. "[I'm] excited for the whole team to be back and get the season going."
FGCU women's golf opens the season at the Johnie Imes Invitational at the University of Missouri on September 23.