Madelyn Gamble Ready to Enjoy NCAA Regionals Opportunity

Madelyn Gamble is nearing the end of her junior year at Washington State, and with an extensive resume with the Washington State women's golf team already, possibly the largest moment of her career so far is underway.

Gamble is from Pleasant Hill, California, where she attended Carondelet High School and quickly made a name for herself in the junior golf scene. Throughout her time in high school, Gamble competed in tournaments such as the 2019 USGA Girls Junior Championship, USGA Women's Amateur Championship, and even won the 2020 Northern California Golf Association Junior Championship.

By the end of her senior year, Gamble was named the Northern California Junior Player of the Year and ranked the 75th best women's junior golfer in the country according to AJGA Rolex Rankings.

However, before Gamble was even finished with her playing career at Pleasant Hill, WSU was interested in bringing her to Pullman.

"WSU contacted me June of my junior year," Gamble said. "I was always kind of interested in Washington State, but I never knew much about the school. I really liked the atmosphere in Pullman and the small-town feel."

By the time her freshman year came around, Gamble quickly made a name for herself. In her first collegiate tournament at the Badger invitational, Gamble finished tied for third shooting an even par. The highlight of her tournament came in the second round, where she shot 4-under, good for the 13th lowest round in school history, in just her first tournament.

This hot start to her college golf career gave Gamble all the confidence she needed to showcase her skills at this level.

"I proved to myself that I belong in the collegiate level and that I'm capable of playing well," Gamble explained.

After a promising freshman year which saw three top-15 finishes and one top-three finish, Gamble grew as a player, but also credits that year to the growth she saw off the course in accepting a new home.

"My freshman year was so pivotal for me," Gamble explained. "I was challenged on and off the golf course, moving away from home, being on a new team, getting to know new coaches. When I arrived here, I wasn't good with change but now I'm a lot more accepting of change."

Going into her sophomore year, Gamble felt fewer outside distractions compared to her freshman year, and it showed on the course.

To start her sophomore year Gamble saw two top-20 finishes in her first three tournaments, which included a tie for 19th in the Badger infinitival and a tie for 20th in the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational.

However, things really started to pick up for Gamble when the Cougs traveled to Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i for the Pac-12 Preview. There she shot just 3-over in three rounds and finished first on the team and tied for 11th overall.

After the Pac-12 preview, Gamble continued stringing together strong performances, including an 11th place finish at the San Diego Classic. However, adversity hit when the Cougs traveled to Napa California for the Chevron Silverado Showdown.

Gamble had one of her worst performances of the year, shooting 26-over and finishing tied for 88th. While Gamble was disappointed in her play at the Chevron Silverado Showdown, she recalled reflecting on the opportunity she had while preparing for the Pac-12 tournament instead of being discouraged at her last performance.

"The opportunity to play in a Pac-12 championship, eight-year-old Madelyn would have dreamed of that," Gamble said. "Thats the mentality I had going in."

With the biggest tournament of the season on the horizon, Gamble rose to the occasion. Gamble finished tied for third in the Pac-12 tournament and put together her best tournament score of the season, shooting four under par. Having her best performance of the season instilled confidence for Gamble going into the summer.

"In golf, having confidence and belief in yourself is huge and that's what the Pac-12 tournament did for me my sophomore year," Gamble explained. "I just kept leaning on what I knew worked for me and it definitely brought a sense of belief."

Going into her junior year, Gamble was poised to have the best year of her career. Gamble started the season placing tied for 10th at the Leadership invitational shooting just 1-over. She kept things going and finished top-15 in six out of her first seven tournaments.

Gamble's best placement came in the Juli Inkster at Meadow Club Invite where she finished in a tie for 8th, shooting two under through two rounds.

Going into the Pac-12 tournament Gamble looked to recreate the performance from her sophomore year. Heading into day three of the tournament Gamble had done just that, shooting 3-under across the first two rounds.

However, Gamble slipped down the standings after her third round. She finished in a tie for 26th, but as she's done all throughout her career, Gamble won't let a tough performance define her, but instead, use that third round as a teachable moment along with being proud of her first two rounds.

"I can't change what happened in the third round, it is what it is, but I learned a ton from that round," Gamble said. "Instead of just dwelling on the bad stuff, being proud of the first two rounds and knowing I can do that is important."

Gamble finished her Pac-12 play with a pair of top-10 finishes, seven top-25 finishes, and a scoring average of 72.69, which is the highest scoring average in program history. Gamble earned an invitation to the NCAA regionals, becoming just the sixth women's golfer to do so.

As she currently plays in the biggest tournament of her career, Gamble is going to soak up the moment she's been working her whole life for.

"Eight-year-old Madelyn would be so excited, so I'm just enjoying the experience." Gamble said.

Despite the NCAA regionals being the biggest tournament of Gamble's life, she isn't doing anything different preparation wise, but instead, doing the same thing that got her to this point.

"At the end of the day it's just another golf tournament," Gamble concluded.