Freshman Malak Bouraeda has made the transition from high school to collegiate golf look easy
Photo by: Tony Harman
Bouraeda’s Star Is On The Rise
March 20, 2019 | Women's Golf
BOULDER – Many athletes start playing their respective sports young, and University of Colorado freshman golfer Malak Bouraeda fits that bill. She was just three years old when she picked up a golf club, but that was not actually the first sport she tried.
"I actually started tennis at two," Bouraeda said. She added golf at three and soccer at four. Her father, Zach, was a professional tennis player and was a semi-professional soccer player, so those were the main focus in the beginning.
"February 13, 2004, was the first day I stepped on a golf course, so I've been playing for 15 years now," she said. When Bouraeda looks back at her earlier days, she said she kept coming back to the course because of the time spent with her dad. "I don't really remember the first day, but just being with my dad is what I looked forward to the most."
Tennis and soccer fell to the wayside as golf took center stage for Bouraeda. At Carroll High School, she earned the No. 1 ranking on the girls' team all four years and would eventually go on to place eighth at the Texas High School State Championship her junior year.
"My best friend at the time and I were really competitive," she said. "We practiced every day and really pushed each other. We would always compete for the one and two spots; having that competition was really good. I enjoyed having the No. 1 spot, but I knew I worked really hard for it."
Her hard work paid off as she caught the attention of CU head coach Anne Kelly.
"She has a lot of speed which is really hard to teach somebody," Kelly said. "She has a lot of natural ability to hit the ball far which you have to in today's game to be completive. I also think she is a natural leader. It is hard to say that about a freshman, but she seems to possess those qualities. She recruited us. She fell in love with CU through an admissions person that visited her high school. You always love that. If you don't have to sell the place and they really want to come, you know you have somebody that really wants to be here. We've had players like that before that just fall in love with CU. They know it is the place for them and we'll take them in a heartbeat."
Other schools like Oklahoma State, Baylor, Arizona and Florida recruited Bouraeda, but she knew she wanted to be a Buff and committed during her junior year of high school. "I fell in love with the campus when I came here," she explained. "The team is amazing and the facilities are unbelievable."
When she came to campus this past fall, she was still 17, which was the biggest transition she faced. For the first time in her life, she was alone, which was a little daunting.
It did not take her long to transition with her teammates and coaches around her. Practices started pretty quick with the first tournament Sept. 11-12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had some great rounds in the fall, but also had some challenges, in particular nerves, as she got used to the collegiate game.
"I was pretty nervous in the beginning," she said. "I played decent in our first tournament. I was nervous, but I don't think I realized how nervous I was. I started out pretty rocky in Chicago and Austin, but I think playing in Dallas and having my whole family and team come was a big and calming for me. It didn't feel stressful or forced. It just felt normal again. After that, I played better. I was able to calm down a little more and relaxed as much as I could."
Bouraeda was a mainstay in the Buffs' lineup in the fall, and had gotten valuable experience while adjusting to the collegiate game.
"I think she has done really well [transitioning to the collegiate game]," Kelly said. "She didn't turn 18 until January. She was a really young freshman. She has handled everything really well. It is not easy for any freshman. But she is learning – she likes to learn. She takes what she learns and she implements it not only with golf but with everything. I think she is doing really well. She has a few challenges health-wise but she is really hanging tough and doing well."
The second tournament of the spring was The Rebel Beach Invitational in Las Vegas, Feb. 18-19. Bouraeda recorded a runner-up finish, the best of her collegiate career, after shooting her best collegiate scorecard of 216. She shot a 2-over 74 in the first round and followed it up with back-to-back 1-under 71 rounds for the finish.
"I actually didn't feel like I played that well; I was just able to score really well that week, which was exciting because I have struggled with that a lot in the past," she said. "So to have it pay off a little bit in the way that I was hoping was great. I didn't go into that tournament with a lot of expectations. I just planned to play the course and take it as it goes."
Her scorecard was the fifth best of the season for the Buffs. Former Buff Robyn Choi had three of the four other scores, while junior Kirsty Hodgkins has the other. Choi, who recently left the team to pursue a professional career, is still a big part of the team.
"I look up to Robyn a lot," Bouraeda said. "And to be chasing her records right now is a lot of fun. I still talk to Robyn and she congratulated me after the finish (in Vegas). She is an unbelievable player and an even better person, so to have her in that company is really special to me."
There is still a large part left in the season and Bouraeda plans to get better with every tournament. "It would be great to have an individual win," she said. "I'm going to work as hard as I can and hopefully get more top-five finishes." As for the team, she hopes to see them keep getting better and hopefully qualify for nationals in May.
Her career is just getting started at CU, but she is not backing down from making individual and team goals for the rest of her time in the black and gold. "I would like to have a few individual titles; that would be incredible," she said. "A national title would be even better as a team. If we keep working as a unit and we put in our all, I think we can achieve that in the next four years."
Like many, her goals after college are to play professionally, and thanks to Choi, she has someone who can talk her through the process.
"She has been really keen on staying the course and trusting the process and the coaches," Bouraeda said. "It will pay off in the long run. You just have to take it one-step at a time. It will click eventually."
With any luck, Bouraeda will be able to make her dreams a reality, but she knows it is a process and the next step in the process is the PING/ASU Invitational, March 29-31, in Tempe, Ariz.
"I actually started tennis at two," Bouraeda said. She added golf at three and soccer at four. Her father, Zach, was a professional tennis player and was a semi-professional soccer player, so those were the main focus in the beginning.
"February 13, 2004, was the first day I stepped on a golf course, so I've been playing for 15 years now," she said. When Bouraeda looks back at her earlier days, she said she kept coming back to the course because of the time spent with her dad. "I don't really remember the first day, but just being with my dad is what I looked forward to the most."
Tennis and soccer fell to the wayside as golf took center stage for Bouraeda. At Carroll High School, she earned the No. 1 ranking on the girls' team all four years and would eventually go on to place eighth at the Texas High School State Championship her junior year.
"My best friend at the time and I were really competitive," she said. "We practiced every day and really pushed each other. We would always compete for the one and two spots; having that competition was really good. I enjoyed having the No. 1 spot, but I knew I worked really hard for it."
Her hard work paid off as she caught the attention of CU head coach Anne Kelly.
"She has a lot of speed which is really hard to teach somebody," Kelly said. "She has a lot of natural ability to hit the ball far which you have to in today's game to be completive. I also think she is a natural leader. It is hard to say that about a freshman, but she seems to possess those qualities. She recruited us. She fell in love with CU through an admissions person that visited her high school. You always love that. If you don't have to sell the place and they really want to come, you know you have somebody that really wants to be here. We've had players like that before that just fall in love with CU. They know it is the place for them and we'll take them in a heartbeat."
Other schools like Oklahoma State, Baylor, Arizona and Florida recruited Bouraeda, but she knew she wanted to be a Buff and committed during her junior year of high school. "I fell in love with the campus when I came here," she explained. "The team is amazing and the facilities are unbelievable."
When she came to campus this past fall, she was still 17, which was the biggest transition she faced. For the first time in her life, she was alone, which was a little daunting.
It did not take her long to transition with her teammates and coaches around her. Practices started pretty quick with the first tournament Sept. 11-12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had some great rounds in the fall, but also had some challenges, in particular nerves, as she got used to the collegiate game.
"I was pretty nervous in the beginning," she said. "I played decent in our first tournament. I was nervous, but I don't think I realized how nervous I was. I started out pretty rocky in Chicago and Austin, but I think playing in Dallas and having my whole family and team come was a big and calming for me. It didn't feel stressful or forced. It just felt normal again. After that, I played better. I was able to calm down a little more and relaxed as much as I could."
Bouraeda was a mainstay in the Buffs' lineup in the fall, and had gotten valuable experience while adjusting to the collegiate game.
"I think she has done really well [transitioning to the collegiate game]," Kelly said. "She didn't turn 18 until January. She was a really young freshman. She has handled everything really well. It is not easy for any freshman. But she is learning – she likes to learn. She takes what she learns and she implements it not only with golf but with everything. I think she is doing really well. She has a few challenges health-wise but she is really hanging tough and doing well."
The second tournament of the spring was The Rebel Beach Invitational in Las Vegas, Feb. 18-19. Bouraeda recorded a runner-up finish, the best of her collegiate career, after shooting her best collegiate scorecard of 216. She shot a 2-over 74 in the first round and followed it up with back-to-back 1-under 71 rounds for the finish.
"I actually didn't feel like I played that well; I was just able to score really well that week, which was exciting because I have struggled with that a lot in the past," she said. "So to have it pay off a little bit in the way that I was hoping was great. I didn't go into that tournament with a lot of expectations. I just planned to play the course and take it as it goes."
Her scorecard was the fifth best of the season for the Buffs. Former Buff Robyn Choi had three of the four other scores, while junior Kirsty Hodgkins has the other. Choi, who recently left the team to pursue a professional career, is still a big part of the team.
"I look up to Robyn a lot," Bouraeda said. "And to be chasing her records right now is a lot of fun. I still talk to Robyn and she congratulated me after the finish (in Vegas). She is an unbelievable player and an even better person, so to have her in that company is really special to me."
There is still a large part left in the season and Bouraeda plans to get better with every tournament. "It would be great to have an individual win," she said. "I'm going to work as hard as I can and hopefully get more top-five finishes." As for the team, she hopes to see them keep getting better and hopefully qualify for nationals in May.
Her career is just getting started at CU, but she is not backing down from making individual and team goals for the rest of her time in the black and gold. "I would like to have a few individual titles; that would be incredible," she said. "A national title would be even better as a team. If we keep working as a unit and we put in our all, I think we can achieve that in the next four years."
Like many, her goals after college are to play professionally, and thanks to Choi, she has someone who can talk her through the process.
"She has been really keen on staying the course and trusting the process and the coaches," Bouraeda said. "It will pay off in the long run. You just have to take it one-step at a time. It will click eventually."
With any luck, Bouraeda will be able to make her dreams a reality, but she knows it is a process and the next step in the process is the PING/ASU Invitational, March 29-31, in Tempe, Ariz.
Players Mentioned
Women's Golf: 2025 Facility Tour
Wednesday, May 21
Women's Golf: A Day in the Life with Women's Golfer Ellen O'Shaughnessy | Apr 11, 2025
Friday, April 11
Buffalo Stampede 12 13 23
Tuesday, December 12
Buffalo Stampede Week 16 FRIDA FORMANN
Tuesday, December 12