Dec. 9, 2011

An Exclusive Feature for CalBears.com
by Megan Lee, Cal Athletic Communications Intern

Daniela Holmqvist, standing calmly poised in blue and gold on the eighteenth green, six feet away from the hole, preparing to sink in the putt for the birdie... This is a very familiar scene for two sets of fans. The first is Cal golf fans, as Holmqvist is one of the senior leaders on the California Golden Bears. The second set is the fans of Sweden, as Daniela recently earned a spot to play for her native country on the national team.

This year alone, Holmqvist has already competed in The Spirit, a world-class event featuring the best amateur men and women players in the world, finishing individually in the top ten and leading Sweden to a ninth place finish, as well as notched herself a spot on the Swedish National Team Squad. She has achieved all this while juggling a full semester's worth of units so she can graduate this spring, in three and a half years time.

Coping with a full college course load can be difficult enough for most, but doing so while playing a Division I college sport is extremely stressful. However, Daniela knew that coming into UC Berkeley; in fact, it is the main reason she chose to come to this prestigious University.

"It's so competitive in both school and in sports. And it's just the top of the nation in both."

Holmqvist is no stranger to high-level performance, as she has virtually been around it her whole life. Her grandfather has played golf for a long time and is a senior European champion. Her father, Hans Holmqvist, is a former professional soccer player in Sweden, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Daniela started golf at a very young age.

"I picked up my first golf club at the age of two, and by the age of ten, I was competing in mini tours and tournaments throughout Europe."

In 2008 she moved to the United States, from Sweden, to attend college and play golf at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a freshman, she was the Individual Medalist at the Conference USA Championships and was also named the Conference USA Women's Golf Freshman of the year, Louisiana Freshman of the Year and First Team All-C-USA. She also helped lead her team to a Conference USA team championship. If that wasn't enough for her first year in college, she also played in the 2009 NCAA National Championships, posted a victory at the Swedish Mini Tour professional event- hitting 5 under par, and was the top amateur and individual medalist at the SAS Master's Tour- finishing 3 under par.

"[My success that year] gave me more options to go to a better school, a tougher program. Cal has always been my dream school. It's a good education and the athletics are amazing".

For Holmqvist, college is very important step in the process of reaching her ultimate goal in becoming a professional golfer.

"I've always felt that education is important. To get an education at the same time where I can practice all year round and have the kind of support system that is here is unique".

In her first two tournaments as a Bear, Holmqvist finished as Cal's number three golfer. She also had Cal's second lowest score at the Juli Inkster Invitational. During the summer of 2010 she went back to Europe where she made it through the qualifying tournament of the British Ladies Amateur. She advanced to play in the 64-player match Play Championships in Yorkshire, England. Holmqvist also finished in a tie for 35th place at the International Ladies Amateur Championship in the Czech Republic.

Coming back for her junior year at Cal, Holmqvist earned a spot on the All-Pac-10 second team as well as a Pac-10 All-Academic second team honor. She shot her career best 68 in the second round of the Ptarmigan Ram Classic finishing 4 under par. At the beginning of the year she was ranked 64th and finished the season ranked at 57th in the Golfweek individual rankings.

However, Cal golf and her education are not the only things this Swedish golfer has on her plate. She has also earned the honor to represent her native country of Sweden, on the National Team squad. Here she has gotten to play with the best of the best among Swedish players, as well as under the best of the best in two of the most knowledgeable coaches currently in the game of golf, Katarina Wangdal and Liselottes Neumann.

Wangdal has worked with Anna Nordqvist and Annika Sorenstam, the most winning female golfer to date. Neumann has won both the US and British Opens. The most recent tournament Holmqvist played under Wangdal and Neumann was at the Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Trinity, Texas. She finished in ninth place coming in at 11 under and also had nine birdies.

"We are really impressed with her ball striking and swing, you can both see and hear the exceptional ball contact," said Wangdal. "Daniela has a lot of characteristics and necessary components that is crucial in order to take the next step. She has good foundations, good discipline when it come to practice and has the rare ability to pay her best when under a lot of pressure".

In addition to her top-notch team of international coaches and the guidance she receives from her Nancy McDaniel at Cal, she also has an internal drive that pushes her to succeed.

"I am constantly motivated," Holmqvist said . "I don't know if it has to do with the legacy of Annika Sorenstam being from Sweden and growing up with that, or if it has to do with my family or just with myself, but I have always been motivated to just work hard.

In her time representing Sweden, Holmqvist has had the opportunity to train and play with Sorenstam on several different occasions.

"She is a great inspiration, not just in golf, but in the way that she views life and preparation and sacrifices that an athlete has to make."

It doesn't hurt that her college coach, Nancy McDaniel is a player's coach.

"She allows us to work and stay committed to our process. She's more about educating me for life, rather than just for this period of time that I'm here," Holmqvist said.

The senior golfer never once considered leaving school early to turn pro.

"I think a lot of golfers choose college because you can get an education and improve at the same time and build the foundation that you need for the tour."

With her degree nearly within reach, Holmqvist has begun to eye the future and the professional ranks are definitely where she wants to be. She plans on playing all of the amateur events this summer and throughout the fall as well, working her way up the rankings in hopes of bypassing stages one and two of qualifying school to go straight to the final stage, bettering her chances of earning a tour card.

A year or two from now, if you happen to be at an LPGA or European Tour event, you might pay close attention if you see a young lady, donning blue and gold, standing six feet away from the hole about to convert another birdie. There is a good chance it will be Daniela Holmqvist.