Carolina Melgrati's routine, relaxed play help Arizona women's golf find winner's circle
Carolina Melgrati has learned a lot about her golf game this past year.
When thinking of what it takes for her to perform at her best, she's found the two most important aspects to be her routine and, simply put, loosening up.
While these two approaches might seem to be opposites, for Melgrati, they actually complement each other quite well.
So well that the Arizona senior followed four top-10 finishes last spring (2023-24) with two top-5 finishes to tee off the fall season as part of the 2024-25 calendar.
Melgrati finished second at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, shooting a 4-under-par 212; that score led the Wildcats to the tournament title in early September, giving her new coach, Giovana Maymon, her first win in the program. Maymon is the only UA women's golf coach to win in their debut.
Then, at last weekend's Mason Rudolph Championships in Franklin, Tennessee, Melgrati finished fifth individually (a 10-under 206) as the Wildcats took fourth.
"I'd say mainly it's the routine," Melgrati said of what's working.
"Before coming to the University of Arizona, I used to practice a lot on fundamentals and everything. I stopped once I got here. My practice wasn't really good. In fact, the first year I kind of lived from what I used to do. I kind of lost it the second year.
"The true switch was last year, when I started doing all my things again — spending a long time on chipping or doing technical drills on the range, all of these things, and doing a bunch of performance drills on the putting green. In the long run, you can see what your practice is giving you back, if that makes sense. That was probably why I started playing a little bit more consistently in the spring last year. I feel like that was the work — the grind behind it."
Melgrati and the Wildcats hope that work shows up Monday, when they tee off in the Windy City Classic in Wilmette, Illinois, just north of Chicago, at the Westmoreland Country Club.
The other part of that equation that's helped Melgrati play her best came this summer. She spent time back home in Milan, Italy, with her family. She relaxed and enjoyed time on the golf course with her family.
"It takes away a lot of that burden that builds up when you are here (at Arizona)," Melgrati said. "It's a lot of stress just practicing, being focused nonstop, and competing. (It) tires you a little bit. That was also a very good thing to just rest and enjoy the sport itself in the summer. I feel like that frees your mind and you just go into the following competitions a little bit more rested, light minded and everything."
This has carried over into the first few tournaments. She was leading the Folds of Honor Collegiate heading in the final day and Maymon helped keep the nerves at bay by having conversations and laughing with Melgrati. In the final round, FSU's Mirabel Ting carded five birdies to finish in first place.
Maymon said Melgrati got a little quick with her putts, and that's something they are working on.
"She never gives up; she fights til the end," Maymon said. "But I think she's very hard on herself, and I think she's been a little better on that, or the last couple tournaments that I've been with her. She's a little bit more graceful for herself, which golf is a sport, and probably every sport that we're going to miss probably more than we're going to do good. I think she's been a little bit more forgiving about herself. In that way, she can focus more on the positive. I think she's been a little bit more patient."
Where it all started
Melgrati played a bunch of different sports growing up, but golf was the one that stuck. She started "ripping clubs, not hitting the ball very good, but that was kind of the concept," around the age of five with her brother. When she joined the Italian National Team, that's when she learned technique.
Her practice routine, which now consists of chipping and putting drills, among other elements, was developed on her own after watching professional golfers and working with her team. That includes her swing coach, putting coach and strategy coach — the group that instilled in her the fundamentals of the game. Now, she is also working with Chuck Cook, a coach who has guided many PGA golfers, including Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Corey Pavin, Tom Kite and the late Payne Stewart.
Melgrati has enjoyed her years at Arizona. She knew since she was 10 years old that she wanted to go to the United States to study and play golf.
"Reaching that goal was amazing," Melgrati said. "If you're an international student, it's such a change that opens your eyes, and you see, 'Oh my god! What a great opportunity I have.' That's how I see it. That's how I see Arizona opportunity and family."
Chip shots
• In the first round of the Mason Randolph Championships, UA junior Nena Wongthanavimok tied her career-best round of 66 (-6).
"She is one of the best putters I've ever had in any team that I've coached. (I) just like her stroke," Maymon said. "I think that's how she scores. I think if we get her long game to be consistent, I think she's going to be consistent all year, but I think she's in a spot that she feels really good about her game."
• Both Arizona's men's and women's golf programs were invited to play in the St. Andrews Links Collegiate on Monday, Oct. 14-16, at St. Andrews Old Course in Scotland. The event will be televised on the Golf Channel.
"It's an amazing experience," Maymon said. "I don't even think these kids know what it is to be there, but we'll, for sure, show them what it is to go to where the world of golf was born. These are experiences that you cannot replicate in your life.
"I think that's the best part of it, how everybody gets to go, everybody gets to play. We get to be with the men's team. It's just once in a lifetime. We really need to take advantage of this experience and be thankful for it."
Contact sports reporter PJ Brown at . On X(Twitter):
Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.
