Golf

Bremer’s success sets up program for future wins

Sophomore golfer Raegan Bremer earned the Cougars' first individual title  on April 1. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

Sophomore golfer Raegan Bremer earned the Cougars’ first individual title on April 1.  |  Courtesy of UH Athletics

Raegan Bremer, whose stock is rising after transferring from the University of California—Davis, was a recipient of All-Big West Honorable mentions after she competed in eight tournaments with a pair of top-20 individual showings to join UH’s upstart women’s golf program. She could be the program’s first star after earning the Cougars’ initial win.

The sophomore joins up-and-coming golfers Courtney Ferguson, Emily Gilbreth and Kelli Rollo as the participants in the first women’s golf program in UH history. The quartet is competing at the American Athletic Conference championships at Hammock Beach Resort and Golf Club in Palm City, Fla., until Tuesday. Through 18 holes, Bremer leads all UH competitors and stands in ninth place.

She did not come to UH seeking golf immortality, though; she traded the sunny shores of Anaheim for sweltering Texas summers for a specific reason — head coach Gerrod Chadwell.

“I knew him originally in high school during the recruiting process,” Bremer said. “I was really comfortable with him, and I had decided to leave UC Davis because of a coaching issue. So I wanted to make sure that I had a really good situation with my new coach.”

Bremer said her former coach, Anne Waker, took a head coaching position at Stanford University, and replacement coach Anna Temple had opposite theories. Temple was a professional and accomplished amateur golfer who had spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of California before being named the head women’s golf coach at UC Davis.

In a statement made during a late 2013 UH press conference, Chadwell was just as supportive of Bremer’s arrival in the Bayou City.

“Raegan will bring some collegiate experience to our team. She has been on the road and had success and understands how college golf works,” Chadwell said. “She has had a good junior career and is doing well this summer. Raegan is a steady, reliable player who is continuing to develop her game, and I am excited to welcome her to the University of Houston.”

Bremer had a celebrated career as a prep star at Canyon High School and earned All-County First-Team honors as a junior in 2010-11. She was a four-time All-Century League Team honoree, served as team captain as a senior and guided the program to three consecutive undefeated seasons in her final three years.

Since arriving at UH, Bremer’s conference play has been strong. In April, she earned medalist honors at the Houston Baptist University Husky Invitational at Sugar Land’s Riverbend Country Club as the only competitor to break par in the final round. She also led the Cougars and tied for seventh after she opened the Dallas Athletic Club/SMU Invitational last weekend with an even-par 72 on the 6,257-yard course, where she finished 36 holes with a score of 147. She was also named the American Athletic Conference’s women’s golfer of the week for the second straight week.

The men’s golf team members have begun to take notice of their female counterparts.

“All the guys are excited that they got their first win,” said senior golfer James Ross. “It just shows they’re moving in the right direction.”

Bremer said it is an honor to represent UH as the first-ever women’s golf team here and that she sees UH winning multiple national championships — starting next year.

“G’s a great coach,” Bremer said. “He can definitely lead us to a national championship. Can he lead us to a win? Absolutely. That’s what’s so great about golf. Anyone can win a national championship — it’s such a diverse sport.”

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