At the end of each season, Cal State Fullerton women’s golf Head Coach Kathryn Hosch asks her returning players about their goals and expectations.
“Three years ago, the team finished fourth at the Big West Championship. We didn’t play great at conference. We had a young team and were going through a development stage,” recalled Hosch.
Katharina Zeilinger, a freshman that season, finished with a 77.8 scoring average.
“I asked her what she wanted to score next year, and she said 72. It generally doesn’t work that way — it’s hard to drop six strokes like that,” said Hosch. “But I loved her confidence.”
Back home in her native Austria that summer, Zeilinger, who goes by Kathi, averaged under 71 strokes per round while playing for her national team. “She proved me wrong,” said Hosch.
In her next two seasons at Fullerton, Zeilinger didn’t average 72 but steadily improved. She lowered her average to 74.96 as a sophomore. The next year, she averaged 74.39 and was a member of Fullerton’s Big West Championship team, earning Big West Honorable Mention honors.
She is having a breakout season as a senior. Zeilinger averages 71.86 per round, notched two top 10 finishes in the fall and kicked off the spring season by winning the San Diego State Classic for her first collegiate tournament championship.
Zeilinger carded a 9-under-par 207 to win the Feb. 9-10 event, which was held at The Height Golf Course in San Diego. It was the second-best score in program history for a 54-hole tournament, behind only Martina Edberg’s 206 in 2016. The Titans finished with a 12-under-par 852 to win the San Diego team competition — its first victory of the year.
“Winning in San Diego was a big accomplishment. This is what I have been working toward, what everyone else has helped me with. I’m still super-stoked about it,” said Zeilinger, who outperformed 62 other players. She finished three strokes ahead of the runner-up, Santa Clara’s Kelsey Kim.
“Sure, you dream or visualize winning, but for it to actually happen was amazing. I opened with a 68 and led by two strokes after 36 holes. I’ve always been the one chasing the leader. Being in the lead and trying not to lose takes a different mindset,” said Zeilinger.
Read more about Zeilinger on the Titans Athletics website.