Olympic Recap: McGinty Joins Women’s Golf Team, Moldovan And Hoag Miss Cut At U.S. Open, Women’s Tennis Picks Up
Ohio State women’s golf added a veteran golfer from the transfer portal last week, picking up Oklahoma State graduate Caley McGinty on June 15.
McGinty hails from Bristol, England, and is one of the finest women’s amateur golfers according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Ohio State head coach Lisa Strom coached McGinty for two years at Kent State from 2019-21 before she was hired to lead the Buckeyes. McGinty then transferred to Oklahoma State.
“To say we’re excited to have Caley join the Buckeye family is an understatement,” Strom said. “I know who she is as a person and player, and the impact she will have on our team will be extraordinary. Her work ethic and desire to be her very best is contagious. I look forward to being alongside her journey again.
“Over the past three years, I’ve seen her go from No. 460 to No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. That doesn’t happen overnight. It is a commitment to the process — doing what you say you’re going to do — putting in the work. Caley does all of those things at an elite level. Having her join our program will raise the standards. We’re building a national championship-contending culture and Caley is a big piece of that puzzle. With the roster we have returning in August, Ohio State women’s golf is primed to do big things.”
McGinty shares in Strom’s excitement, claiming her former head coach’s presence in Columbus was the most significant factor in choosing the Buckeyes once she entered the transfer portal.
“I am proud and excited to be a Buckeye,” McGinty said. “Ohio State is a place that feels like home and I’ll be surrounded by people that feel like family already. I am looking forward to being coached by Coach Strom again. She understands me, my game and knows exactly how to push her players to be better.
McGinty has participated in dozens of international tournaments over several years, including a third-place finish at the English Women’s Open Amateur Championship and a top 35 finishes at the English Women’s Amateur and the European Ladies Amateur. Most recently, she represented England and Ireland in the 2022 Curtis Cup against the United States.
At Oklahoma State, McGinty played in five events, averaging a 68.68 stroke average in 12 rounds. She posted four top-five finishes and was among the top 20 in all five outings. Nine of her rounds were in the 60s, including a stretch of six consecutive sub-70 scores that helped her win individual titles at The Schooner Fall Classic and the Jim West Challenge.
Strom’s first season as head coach was a success, but she’ll need more help to take the program to the next level. She receives that help in McGinty. In 2021-22, Strom guided the Buckeyes to top 10 finishes in seven events, winning the Lady Buckeye Invitational before earning a tie for third at the Big Ten Championships. Ohio State made the 2022 NCAA Championships as an at-large selection, playing in the Ann Arbor Regional.
MEN’S GOLF
Ohio State rising junior Maxwell Moldovan shot a 2-over par 72 on June 17 at the U.S. Open in Brookline, Mass., while former Buckeye Bo Hoag shot a 5-over 75. After two rounds, both golfers were 7-over and missed the cut, which included all participants at 3-over or better.
Moldovan was the first Ohio State amateur to qualify for the U.S. Open since Will Grimmer made the U.S. Open field in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills. Grimmer went on to make the cut that year.
Hoag declared himself a professional in 2011 and played in the 2021 U.S. Open, but he did not make the cut. He has one title on the Korn Ferry Tour and played in this year’s Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. Hoag didn’t make the cut at the Central Ohio tournament.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Ohio State women’s tennis reportedly picked up a transfer from Southern California on June 19. According to Tennis Insider’s Parsa Nemati, former five-star Danielle Willson will play for the Buckeyes this fall as a graduate transfer.
In four seasons as a Trojan, Willson ranked as high as No. 6 in singles and No. 3 in doubles, amassing an overall record of 60-35 in solo competitions and 50-41 in duos. Prior to her time at USC, Willson was a high school state champion in California and a two-time All-American at Corona del Mar High School.