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Welcome to Q-School!

Welcome to the big week! The tournament that all golfers striving to earn their LPGA card work towards all year: Qualifying School (Q-school). There are three different stages that players must go through to gain their LPGA card. Stage 1 is held in Palm Springs, California. Around 400 golfers will show up and only the top 95 and ties will make the cut and advance to Stage 2. My mom, dad, brother, and newly “adopted” sister all flew out to California to support me. It was such a fun ride and I’m excited to share how it went:


My family and I arrived in Palm Springs, California on Sunday, August 20th. I guess we can say we were a part of history since we arrived in the middle of the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years. Thankfully we endured most of the storm safely from our hotel that afternoon. The weather passed quickly and after Sunday night, we wouldn’t see a drop of rain for the rest of the trip.


Monday became the fully-settle-in day since all the local courses were shut down for maintenance from Sunday’s floods. I did a longer workout in the morning to get out some energy, and then got everything unpacked and organized for the next 10 days.


On Tuesday I spent the morning picking my caddy up from the airport. Alex was back on the bag. For those who are new to the blog, I met Alex while I was playing golf in Texas over the summer. He caddied for me in a few events, and we jelled really well. I was excited to have him for q-school and to practice with me as I got ready for next week.


On Wednesday, Alex and I decided to go play an extra practice round on one of the courses I’d be playing next week. The initial idea for Wednesday’s round was to just map out the course and play a fun game against each other. Just see where my game was at. That plan was quickly altered.


Let me take a moment to be totally transparent. Despite my best efforts to not overthink q-school, a lot of nerves were beginning to set in. If I had been keeping consistent track of my score that day, I probably shot 88. Thankfully it was only Wednesday. I still had four days to settle in. Additionally, I had Alex out there early. Not only is Alex good with keeping me calm in competition, but he’s also very good with the golf swing. Throughout the round he was able to identify the small mechanical errors I was making and how to correct them. I quickly realized that having Alex fly out early was the best decision I ever made.

After the round, I knew I still had to figure out the nerves. I got on the phone with my mental coach that evening and got a game plan in place for the next eight days.


Friday-Sunday were my official practice round days. Q-school is played on 3 courses, so Alex and I spent each day on a different course mapping out our plan for when it came time to play them.


Hello Monday morning. Round 1 of my first q-school finally arrived. I was playing Indian Wells Country Club, and I teed off at 7:40am. (Honestly a good draw considering the temp was supposed to get up to 115° that afternoon.) I was feeling good. Alex and I had put great work in with my swing the past couple days. I was hitting the ball well, my mental game felt stable, and I was ready to play. I will take time to mention that my first tee-shot was not a line drive down the middle. Jitters got the best of me, and I hit a nice pull-hook into fairway on the next hole over haha. Thankfully, one errant tee shot does not define a round. I took a bogie on the first hole, settled in, and stuck to the game plan. Have fun! And let me tell y’all, with Alex on the bag and my entire family walking along, I had an absolute blast. I wish I could walk through every hole because I want to stress how crucial Alex was in my game. I may have swung the club, but he deserves more than half the credit for how it all turned out. Without him, there is no way I would have walked away from my first ever round in q-school at even par. It was an awesome start to the week and gave good energy going into day 2.


Tuesday, I played the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills. This course was set up fairly long and had given me some struggle in practice. However, it was a new day. The past didn’t matter. All that mattered today was I pick my targets, trust my swing, and have fun. Additionally, a great caddy provides a huge bonus of confidence. Today’s tee time was at 11:30. I also want to take a moment to give my parents and siblings a massive shout out. While all players and caddies got to ride in carts, my family walked in record-breaking heat at over 120° to watch my round. I’m not sure if they’ll ever be able to display their love for me more than they did that day haha. In terms of the golf, it was so, so bittersweet. I birdied the first hole and played solid for so much of the round. 14 holes to be exact. I was even through 14. Only four holes left to play. And it was in these four holes that I would learn a lot about myself and my game. I discovered the power of subconscious nerves and how they affect my swing. But it wasn’t until after I went +6 on the final 4 holes that I understood the issue and how to correct it. While I was playing, however, I can confidently say that mindset was in a good spot. I wasn’t getting angry or giving up. Alex was saying all the right things and trying to keep. me relaxed. Nerves just got the best of me. Nonetheless, despite leaving the day with a tough score, I still felt encouraged. I had played 14 holes at even par. I can't minimize that. And I learned a good lesson that will allow me to go so much further in the future.


Wednesday has arrived. There is going to be a cut after today’s round. Only the top 125 out of around 400 golfers make it to the 4th day. I teed off at 7:20 on the Arnold Palmer course at Mission Hills. I knew the odds of making the cut were very slim. But that didn’t take away from the fact that the game plan was still the same. Pick my targets, trust my swing, and have fun. I had a rough start, but I had a great day of proving to myself that I can grind and finish strong. I’m pretty sure I was +4 through my first five holes. Before teeing off number six, I had a chat with Alex. Again, he earned massive caddy points. After our little chat and reassurance of confidence, I went -2 the rest of the day. The round was filled with lots of laughs, smiles, and soaking up the experience.


All in all, what a fantastic week. So many sweet moments with my family, surrounded by beautiful scenery, and experiencing an exciting new event. In between rounds, my crew and I relaxed at the pool, rode water slides, played corn-hole and card games, and explored the Palm Springs area. I could continue with so many small details, but I won’t bore the crowd.


Lastly, I’ll acknowledge my overarching takeaways from the week:

1. God is so good and so sovereign. Without Him, I would not be writing stories about my life as a professional golfer.

2. This week solidified that professional golf is my passion. I love it. I love the travel, I love the grind, and I love to compete. My heart is filled with the desire to keep playing, and I will continue to chase my dream until God calls me on another path. This rookie year is just the first chapter in the story.



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