A week ago, everything clicked on the course for senior Isabella McCauley.

At the Boilermaker Classic, she looked comfortable and settled in a sport that so often resists it. Her score of 72-68-72 put her at four under par for the second straight tournament and at the top of the leaderboard. The win earned her Big Ten Conference Golfer of the Week honors, but more importantly, it was a confirmation of what she is building towards. 

“I was feeling really good about my hitting,” McCauley said. “ I knew it was going to be windy out there, so I knew that was going to be a really important factor.”

She embraced it, and while her drives off the tee set the tone, she believes it was her confidence on the greens that helped carry her through. 

“I think part of that’s just getting a good feel on the greens beforehand,” McCauley said. “Also, it was a Midwest course. That kind of helps, having grown up in the Midwest. I really love the Midwest greens and courses in general.”

That familiarity showed along with her composure. McCauley stayed steady for her first win of the season, coming just a few weeks before the Big Ten Tournament. 

Yet, she is not calling it a peak. She said golf does not work like that. 

“Golf is really a game where it kind of ebbs and flows,” McCauley said. “You never really know until you’re out there, you’ve seen the course, and you know how you’re playing.”

It certainly builds confidence, but it is not an immediate expectation to carry forward the momentum. 

“It was really fun to play well last week,” McCauley added. “It definitely gives me confidence.”

For McCauley, that confidence makes it easier to let go. As a senior entering the final stretch of her collegiate career, she has made a conscious shift. She is not trying to make every round count more and be weighed down by that pressure. 

“I’m just trying to enjoy it,” McCauley said. “I’ve definitely let loose a little bit in that way.”

That looseness has changed everything. It has allowed her to trust her instincts and to move on quickly when a round is not going her way. That was not always the case earlier in her career.

Long tournament days, especially 36-hole days, could wear her down mentally. A bad stretch of play could linger and make the rounds start to blur together. 

“My freshman and sophomore years, I definitely struggled to get through those rounds because it was such a long day,” she said. “You’re kind of just having to stay so mentally ready throughout that whole period of time.”

McCauley has found ways to manage that now, not from overthinking it. Instead, she tries to narrow her focus. 

“I kind of separate holes into groups,” McCauley said. “Being like these are my last three holes, or this is my last hole of the day, even though it’s not.”

It is a small yet effective trick, keeping her grounded in the present. It protects her from the spirals that golf can so easily create. 

“I’m always trying to stay positive,” McCauley added. “Take it one shot at a time.”

It sounds simple in theory, but she admits it can be difficult to execute. Lately, though, that approach has been showing up in her demeanor and on the scorecard. 

There is another layer of meaning these past two seasons have carried, too. For the second year, she has been able to play collegiate golf alongside her younger sister, sophomore Reese McCauley. 

“It was never really planned out that she would potentially be a teammate of mine at college,” McCauley said. “She ended up picking Minnesota, too and we were so excited to have that opportunity to be teammates again.”

The first time they were teammates was at Simley High School for two years. That experience already had significant meaning, but competing at the collegiate level and getting to travel together has been a different kind of special. 

When Isabella McCauley reflects on her time with the Gophers, it is those types of memories that come to mind. 

“It’s the non-golf stuff,” McCauley said. “Team dinners, traveling, just living life together on the road.” 

Those moments might not be the ones that show up on a leaderboard or earn weekly honors, but they are the ones that last the longest. 

There is still more ahead for McCauley, though, as she wraps up the season. The Big Ten Championships are ahead, and it is another title within reach for McCauley. The stakes are there, and it is a chance to extend the season even further. That is not her main focus, though. 

“I’m just trying to stay present, ultimately just have fun with my teammates, and make the most of the last tournament or two,” McCauley said. 

That perspective has become her foundation, and when she thinks about the legacy she leaves behind, once more, it is not defined by the scores or the standings. 

“I hope what people remember of me is more of who I was as a person than who I was as a golfer,” McCauley said. “It’s not the score that counts, it’s your character.”