Colorado University Athletics
Lee Earns Highest Individual Ranking In CU History
October 01, 2015 | Women's Golf
BOULDER – It's only a few events into the 2015-16 women's golf season and already this team is making history. The team is ranked No. 11 in the initial Golfweek ranking for the season and junior Esther Lee is ranked No. 3 individually.
There are two computer rankings in college golf, Golfweek and Golfstat. Golfstat doesn't release team rankings until later in October, but in the initial individual rankings, Lee came in at No. 14 in that poll.
“Esther Lee is a great player, she was a top junior player and I think she's just coming into her own in college golf,” CU coach Anne Kelly said. “She's a tough player, her knee has been bothering her, but she's playing through it.”
The team's No. 11 ranking matches the highest ranking in team history in either computer poll. During the Buffs tremendous season in 2011-12, the Buffs finished No. 11 in Golfweek and No. 12 in Golfstat's final rankings and that was the highest ranking for either that year. The squad was ranked No. 10 in the final Golfworld Coaches poll, a non-computer poll voted on by coaches from around the nation.
“It means a lot, to be ranked that high,” Kelly said. “I do think this is a very good team, it is early and we have a lot of hard work in front of us. If we can focus on one tournament at a time, we have a chance to do some special things this year."
Individually, Lee's No. 3 ranking is the best in CU history. Emily Childs was ranked No. 4 in the initial poll in 2008 after a solid start to her semester. Lee did slip two spots in this week's Golfweek poll to No. 5, but she is now the first CU player to be ranked in the top five twice. And behind those three top 5 rankings, the highest known individual ranking in either poll is last year when Lee peaked at No. 22 on Golfstat and No. 24 on Golfweek.
Lee has been on fire to kick off the 2015-16 season, finishing fourth individually at the Minnesota Invitational and then in last week's East-West Challenge, she won the stroke play portion of the event on the strength of a school-record 64 (by three strokes) and then easily won both of her match-play matches, taking down two top players both by a score of 5&4.
