It was almost unfair. At the same time, it was a fair example of Kaitlyn Zermeno Smith’s ability to own the moment — whatever and wherever the moment.
During the second round of the Big West Women’s Golf Championships, Zermeno Smith was standing behind a tree, lining up her second shot on the 18th hole at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas. CSUF golf coach Kathryn Hosch went up to her to discuss her options.
Zermeno Smith wasn’t in the mood for discussion.
“She immediately said, “I know I can work it between these two trees. Plus, I’m about to tie the school record, so I have to go for it.’ I’ve never had another player who can think about where they are on the leaderboard and use it for motivation, rather than feeling the pressure,” Hosch said. “Needless to say, she birdied the hole. It’s so much fun to watch her in those moments.”
Not if you’re one of her opponents, paired with a player who can overpower golf courses with routine 290-plus-yard drives. And not if you’re a rival conference golfer treated to the sight of Zermeno Smith rising from seemingly out of the clouds to win the Big West Individual Championship — largely on the strength of that second-round 65 that tied the program record.
Now, add this variable to the unsettled feeling equation. If it weren’t for a decision seven years ago, Zermeno Smith wouldn’t be dismantling golf courses up and down the West Coast. She wouldn’t be destroying the will of golf opponents by sheer power matched by few, if any, of her counterparts. There would be a different Big West Women’s Golf Player of the Year — likely teammate and 2024 Big West Player of the Year Davina Xanh, who finished second in her conference title defense to Zermeno Smith.
We’ll get to that decision in a moment, because that’s not the only twist in the road that made Zermeno Smith only the second Titans’ women’s golfer to win the Big West Conference title and the keystone to CSUF winning its first team championship in program history. Because if there’s one thing more pronounced than Zermeno Smith’s power, it’s her persistence.
“We first became aware of Kaitlyn during the recruiting process because she was incredibly persistent with her emails,” Hosch said. “She would update us after nearly every junior event she played, and to be honest, I often read them without replying, which is pretty common, since our inboxes are flooded with recruiting messages. What really stood out to me, though, was how her scores steadily improved over time and, more importantly, her athleticism.
“At the time, we had already secured verbal commitments from a couple of experienced European players, so it made sense to take on a ‘project’ player. Normally, I’m hesitant to bring in players who are newer to the game because it takes a lot of time to develop them, and in college golf, we just don’t have that luxury. But Kaitlyn was different. She had an extreme amount of speed and athletic ability — the kind of natural tools you simply can’t teach.”
Even then, Hosch remained noncommittal until literally the 11th hour. Cal State Los Angeles was hot on Zermeno Smith’s trail and had an offer waiting for her, with a deadline to accept it. Zermeno Smith was blowing up Hosch’s inbox — and getting nothing but crickets in return.
“On that day, I was praying about it. I needed a sign to know I was going to the right place,” Zermeno Smith said. “I sent Coach Hosch another email that day saying, ‘If you want me, speak now or forever hold your peace.’ She sent a text, called me and offered me a position on the team. At 7 p.m. that night, I declined Cal State L.A. and went to Cal State Fullerton.”
Instead of defenestrating courses in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association, Zermeno Smith was a Division I golfer. And Hosch instantly understood and became very familiar with one of the eternal truths of golf: You can’t teach a collegiate woman golfer to possess the kind of power Zermeno Smith brings to a golf course.
She regularly flirts with 300-yard drivers and is constrained only by the courses the Titans play and her own daily-improving short game. On many occasions, Zermeno Smith encounters obstacles off the tee accessible only to her, forcing her at times to put the driver away and hit 3-wood or long iron.
“Then, I’m back where everyone else is,” she said.
To put Zermeno Smith’s power into context, Julia Lopez Ramirez of Spain leads the LPGA in driving distance with an average drive on measured holes of 289.45 yards. Nelly Korda, the No. 1-ranked woman in the world, is ninth at nearly 279 yards, about what Zermeno Smith averaged her freshman year, when she barely got into tournaments.
That Zermeno Smith may have possessed elite distance. She also possessed less-than-elite skills on and around the green, which explained why she played in one event her freshman year — and that as an individual.
“My putting and short game weren’t great. I would say my putting and short game were well below average,” she said. “I was the worst putter in Division I golf.
Extensive work with her personal coach, Perry Johnson, whom Zermeno Smith credits for understanding her fluid, changing swing and being able to instantly spot imperceptible changes in it, helped close the gap between her long and short games.
But there was more to it. Zermeno Smith has an innate ability to see several moves down the chessboard and understand the importance of her decisions — and their likely outcome.
Witness the decision she made at 14, the one that now has opponents throwing their hands in the air in resignation. Growing up in Covina, Zermeno Smith was a standout softball player, a power-hitting catcher who drew interest from Pac-12 schools as a high school freshman. To this day, Zermeno Smith swears she’s a better softball player than she is a golfer.
But during her sophomore year of high school, she realized something that changed the trajectory of her life — and college future.
“With softball, there’s nothing after college, and I knew for a fact I wanted to play a pro sport as a job and a career,” she said. “I loved softball, but I ended up quitting. … It was so hard. I had so many coaches telling me I could go Pac-12 in softball and go really far in it. And it was tough because I love being part of a team and playing for something other than myself. It was hard to give up softball and say goodbye to all my friends, but for the sake of my future and what I wanted to do, it was the best decision I could make.”
Even with the late start, which delayed the recruiting process, Zermeno Smith saw golf as the right road ahead. She and Johnson just had to put the work in. Her natural ability to process information and shrug off pressure would do the rest.
“What makes Kaitlyn different is her ability to embrace pressure and competition — she thrives on it,” Hosch said. “During her freshman year, it was almost comical. She was constantly challenging Davina Xanh to chipping contests, putting contests, closest-to-the-pin contests — anything. And honestly, she used to lose a lot. But she never gave up.
“Watching her compete — and lose — in all those little games might actually be the reason she’s so comfortable in pressure situations today. … Some of her best rounds, and even her best tournaments, have started off terribly. She is never out of it, and she knows it.”