The ISU women’s golf team, currently ranked 33rd in the nation by Golfstat.com, showcases one of the most diverse lineups in collegiate golf.

Senior Pennapa Pulsawath of Bangkok, Thailand, and redshirt junior Victoria Stefansen of Roervig, Denmark, lead the team in scoring this season with averages of 74.16 and 76.16.

Also highlighting the team are junior Laurence Herman of Kortrijk, Belgium, sophomore Marincke Gerbranda of Eindhoven, Netherlands, and freshman standout Punpaka Phuntumabamrung, also of Bangkok.

Coach Christie Martens has attended the European Ladies and Junior tournaments the past four years in search of international talents.

“Our players from Thailand actually played in events here in the U.S. years ago with hopes of one day coming to the U.S. to play college golf,” Martens said.

Pulsawath and Phuntumabamrung were acquainted with each other in Bankok long before heading to Iowa State. Golfers in Thailand are a close-knit group, and the two played together on the Bangkok team in junior golf, Martens said.

Known as “Robot” by her teammates for her knack for consistently hitting fairways and greens, Pulsawath has emerged as an essential piece of Iowa State’s success behind an outstanding supporting cast, including Phuntumabamrung.

“Punpaka has also been extremely consistent in her scoring,” Martens said. “While Pennapa leads the team in pars, Punpaka leads in birdies. She is our shortest player, but leads in par-five scoring with a 4.92 average.”

Stefansen has also emerged as one of the most dynamic golfers on the team.

“Victoria understands what it takes to compete in college tournaments and always fights for her rounds and to finish strong for her teammates,” Martens said. “She is one of our most exciting players to watch because she makes things happen on the golf course.”

While breaking the top 10 already once this season, Herman is quickly proving her work ethic will propel her to another level.

“Laurence has tremendous talent and willpower. When she sets her mind to something, you don’t want to stand in her way,” Martens said.

Although Gerbranda has not yet participated in a tournament this season, the sophomore will continue to improve and attempt to break into the varsity scene.

One aspect of ISU golf that all five international players agree upon is that Iowa State gave them an opportunity to succeed in both education and athletics.

“The United States is the only place in the world that golfers can combine both their academics and athletics,” Martens said. “In other countries, they have to turn professional to continue to compete in their sport, and it is not supported by their universities.”

Iowa State has also given these women a chance to share their cultural experiences with one another.

“One of the exciting things they bring to our team is the difference in perspective. Iowa State is a global university and it is reflected in our golf teams,” Martens said. “It is amazing for each of our players to learn from each other and to step out of the ethnocentricity that the U.S. has become famous for. Our players can go all over the world and feel like they know a little bit about how other people live.”

Martens also highlighted the fact that the players’ individuality is not strictly a cultural characteristic, and the team is a closely-knit group heading into its final tournament of the fall season.

“I think the biggest thing people see when meeting our team is that people are people,” Martens said. “Everyone from various cultures and countries have their own idiosyncrasies as well as similarities. The team gets along well together and they also challenge each other to compete at a higher level. They aren’t the same just because they are from a different culture, just as all Americans aren’t the same.”