PRAIRIE VIEW – This past spring, Neveah Figueroa had an experience like she never thought she would have when the Prairie View A&M women’s golf team came out of nowhere to capture the SWAC Championship.
Now, it’s all about capturing that feeling again.
“Coming into this season, we are looking to win another SWAC, of course, get a second ring,” said Figueroa, a senior. “So everybody is just pushing harder to get better so that we can accomplish that goal again.”
The work to get there began this fall, when the new lineup, led by Figueroa, started putting in the effort that will hopefully pay off again this spring. But unlike last season, it’s unlikely the Panthers will be sneaking up on the SWAC field after winning the season and advancing to the NCAA Regionals in Waco.
Opponents this season will be playing the course and the Panthers.
“It’s a little bit more pressure, to be honest,” Figueroa said. “At the end of the day, we have to remember we are playing for ourselves as well as the team.
“If one of us has a bad round, at least we all know that we’ve got each other’s backs. `It’s okay to have that bad round. We’ve got you.’”
More often than not, Figueroa will be the one this year providing the assurances to her younger teammates as one of the program’s top golfers and most seasoned players. Her poise and accomplishments in three seasons were enough for head coach Kortland Ware to appoint Figueroa the captain of the women’s team.
It was a challenge the more reserved Figueroa readily accepted.
“It’s been good. It was an honor for Ware to ask me to be team captain,” said Figueroa, who began her collegiate career at Ottawa University in Kansas. “I just want the girls to know that I’m there for them. If they need anything, they can always come to me as a friend, as a teammate. I want to be their motivation and allow them to have a great season.”
Ware saw the qualities she was looking for in a leader in Figueroa from the time she took over the programs last season to the start of the season this fall.
“It’s a lot of work for sure. But it’s worth it. Playing in college, you get so many experiences. The Stephens Cup, went to the Bahamas and went to Hawaii. You’re playing with these big schools.”
Neveah Figueroa
“Nevaeh, she is our captain of the team,” Ware said. “It’s extremely important that she knows exactly what is asked of her. Being able to relay that to the team is important because she is not just a student-athlete. Now she has more important jobs.
“I think she is a really good leader. She speaks well, and I think they look up to her. The things she does are important.”
But none is more important than what she does on the course.
Figueroa, who finished fourth in last fall’s SWAC Tournament and then took fifth in the SWAC Championships in the spring, has been a steady performer for the Panthers this fall.
Earlier this season, Figueroa had a respectable showing at the Red Raider Invitational in Lubbock and, more recently, at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Hawaii; she finished with an even-par final round, posting 13+ in the first round and 11+ in the second.
But the highlight of this fall was her invitation to the prestigious Jackson T. Stephens Cup at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas. The tournament, held Sept. 14-16, featured some of the top college golfers in the country.
“Being invited to that type of event is fantastic,” Ware said. “It’s fantastic for me, as a coach. It’s fantastic for her as an individual player and, of course, for the university.
“My dad is like my biggest supporter. He introduced me to golf. At first, I thought the sport was boring. I was just interested in driving the golf cart. But I fell in love with it.”
Neveah Figueroa
“It was shown on the Golf Channel, so we got to play against the top players in the world. Having her come to this event. I could see it in her face; I could see the excitement. This was something she was built for because it’s not just about the playing; it’s about the relationships. Getting the opportunity to meet the people who are the pros and who are the assistants at these beautiful golf courses.”
Admittedly, Figueroa was a little nervous and didn’t perform at her best. But she appreciates the experience. The senior marketing major got to rub elbows and interact with golf pros and professionals who align with her post-college goals of either obtaining a PGA Fellowship or an American Junior Golf Association internship.
“I didn’t play to my expectations, but I just know what I need to work on,” she said. “Looking forward to the next few tournaments with the girls. The course was beautiful, though. I enjoyed the experience. It was cool. It was awesome to be put in that category with such amazing players.”
