Earlier in 2025, the UNLV Women’s Golf Team opened their new Excellence Center at The Las Vegas Country Club. A few months later, team clinched the 2025 Mountain West Conference Championship at Mission Hills Country Club, marking their first conference title since 2018. Coincidence? We think not.
Facing a two-shot deficit to start the day, the Scarlet & Gray bested SJSU by two shots with a final-round 8-over 296 to pull into a tie at 18-over for the tournament and force the playoff. Leading the charge, Foong carded a 2-under 70 and Yokoyama, who shot a 2-over 74, made the team’s only birdie on the 17th hole that helped keep the Rebels’ hopes alive. Hall added a 2-over 70 and Matsui rounded out the scorecard at 6-over on another day filled with strong winds.
Head Coach Amy Bush-Herzer has attributed some of the team’s success to the new facility in previous comments.
“This Excellence Center has been a game-changer for our program,” said Bush-Herzer. “It provides our student-athletes with everything they need to excel both on the course and in the classroom.”
Post victory, Bush-Herzer said:
“I’m super proud of this team and we just kept having fun. We’ve had a beautiful year, with a lot of success and great things to talk about. I think it goes back to the whole picture of this year which makes this so special. We opened our Excellence Center with the help of a lot of people in Las Vegas. We have incredible support from golf courses in Las Vegas and we have this team that’s so special.”
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UNLV’s championship performance was led by standout players Toa Yokoyama and Foong Zi-You, who finished third and fourth individually. With the Mountain West title secured, the Rebels now set their sights on the upcoming NCAA Regionals and the elusive NCAA championship. The MWC title was the eighth in school history.
The 2,000-square-foot Excellence Center, located just 2.5 miles from UNLV’s campus, features two indoor hitting bays equipped with Foresight launch monitors, a Well-Putt Putting Platform, a player lounge, and a study center. The facility allows players to practice regardless of weather conditions and has already made a significant impact on recruiting, with two players committing on the same day—a first in Coach Bush-Herzer’s 12-year tenure.
- With the victory, the Rebels have now posted two victories as part of seven top-2 finishes during the 2024-25 campaign. Their other win came at Denver’s Ron Moore Intercollegiate.
- This was the first MW trophy hoisted by UNLV since the 2018 conference championship, which was also played at Mission Hills Country Club.
- The Scarlet & Gray’s four seniors – Hall, Matsui, Umezu and Yokoyama – all notched career-high MW Championship finishes. It was Foong’s first appearance at the league tournament.