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For 13 years, Baylor's women's golf program has been under the remarkable leadership of head coach Sylvia Ferdon, who has guided the Bears into the Big 12 Conference's upper echelon. Ferdon has made Baylor a regular in the NCAA postseason, leading the Bears to seven straight regional appearances and the program's first-ever NCAA Championship berth in 2004. In the past four-and-a-half seasons, the Baylor women's golf team has finished in the top five in 33 of 53 tournaments, including 11 team titles. The Bears started of the 2005-06 season with a team victory at the Ptarmigan/Ram Classic. Senior Josefin Svenningsson and sophomore Sian Reddick shared the individual title, each tying Svenningsson's school-record 54-hole total of 210. Reddick also broke Svenningsson's 18-hole record with a 67 in the second round. In the spring coach Ferdon guided her team to another victory at the Central District Invitational where the team shot 302, 298 and 296 for a total of 896. The Bears picked up a total of five top 10 finishes including placing sixth at the Big 12 tournament, a finish earned in great part by Anna Rehnholm's individual third-place finish. And for the seventh straight year, Baylor qualified for the NCAA Regional tournament. The Bears wrapped up the season finishing 14th in the central region. The 2004-05 season started with two fall team titles at the Aztec Fall Invitational and the Ross Resorts Invitational. Reddick had an immediate impact for the Bears, leading the team in stroke average, recording three top 10 finishes and setting the Baylor freshman scoring record. The team tied the best showing in program history by finishing third at the Big 12 Championship and held the lead through two rounds at the NCAA Central Regional before missing a second straight NCAA Championship appearance by eight strokes. In 2003-04, Svenningsson earned All-Big 12 and All-Central Regional honors, finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships, destroyed the Baylor 54-hole record and tied the then-single-round record twice. The team also had its most successful year to date, tying for 19th in its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance. Meredith Jones, who received Big 12 All-Tournament honors, and Anna Rehnholm, who set several Baylor freshman records, had breakout seasons to help the Bears during their run to the NCAA Championships. In 2002-2003, Ferdon's Bears had a school-record four wins and were ranked 29th nationally. Seniors Melanie Hagewood and Hanna-Sofia Svenningsson left a legacy at Baylor as the only players to appear in a regional all four years they were at Baylor. Hagewood was an All-Big 12 performer, a four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, a Verizon Academic All-American and the 2001 LPGA Dinah Shore Award winner. Svenningsson was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and improved her scoring average each season. The Baylor women's golf program began to earn national recognition in 1999-2000, when the Bears posted their first team victory in six seasons and earned the school's first NCAA Regional bid. Ferdon was honored as the 2000 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year following the season. Baylor posted a then-best seventh-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, and placed 18th in the 24-team NCAA West Regional in Tempe, Ariz. Ferdon's previous coaching experiences includes stints as head coach at Florida State in 1974-75, and as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Florida in 1973-1974. Under Ferdon, Baylor has produced three All-Big 12 players, who have combined for five awards. Ali Brewer was a second-team selection in 1999 and 2000, Melanie Hagewood in spring of 2001 and 2003 and Josefin Svenningsson in 2004. Ferdon could be called a "players coach" because she knows first hand how to handle the pressure of competition. In 1992, Ferdon earned her way into the LPGA Championship by winning the LPGA Central Section Championship. Previously, Ferdon had spent five years on the LPGA Tour. Following the LPGA Tour, Ferdon claimed a victory at the LaGrange Classic on the WPGT mini-tour. She was also a member of the European WPGA tour. Ferdon is not only a gifted player, but a fine teacher as well. She has been a Class A member with the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division since 1990. From 1986 to 1995, Ferdon taught golf at Baylor and polished her ability to work with players of all abilities. During her summers, she also spent time as Head Professional and Teaching Pro at Peninsula Park Golf Course in Ephraim, Wis. Ferdon is a 1968 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and a member of the school's athletic hall of fame. Ferdon received her Master's in Education from Tarleton State University. She used her love for golf as a basis for her exit paper "The Use of Imagery to Enhance Performance of a Collegiate Golfer." Ferdon has also co-authored a teaching text for college level classes entitled, "Play Golf Effectively." Coach Ferdon is married to Dr. Douglas Ferdon, Associate Professor and former Chairman of the Department of Journalism at Baylor University. They have been married since Aug. 21, 1971. |
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