Thursday, November 26, 2009

What I'm Thankful For

What I’m Thankful For:

My Heavenly Father

God has blessed my life in more ways than I’ll ever be able to count. I know that He has a bigger plan for my life and that He is in complete control. I am so thankful for the people that God has chosen to be in my life. I strive everyday to give it my all for and to God.

My Parents

Without the love and support of my parents, I would not be the person I am today. They have told me since the day I was born that I could do anything I put my mind to and have believed in me more than I have ever believed in myself. I know what I’m trying to do is expensive but my dad has not once brought it up as an issue. My mom works so hard at booking trips, packing, and making sure everything else is in order so I don’t have to worry about anything. I don’t believe anyone has it as good as I do.


My parents and I at the 2009 NCAA Regional Championship in Columbus, OH

My Family
I’m one lucky girl to have family spread out all across the country who keep up with me and are just as excited as I am with what I’m trying to do. I love them so much and wish I could spend more time with them.


My brother and sister-in-law, Adam and Jennifer with their puppy Lily


My mom's side of the family in Maryland this past spring

My Friends
My friends show me how to enjoy life and are one of the main reasons why I find the fun in everything. I will probably live a long life because of all the laughs I have with my friends. My three best friends, “The Crew,” doesn’t know much about the sport I play but that’s why I love spending time with them so I can escape the world of golf. I have sacrificed a lot over the years with my friends by missing birthdays and other big events but thankfully I have them to lean on when I’m in a not-so-happy mood.


The Crew

Coaches
I have had many different teachers and coaches over the years who have made a huge impact in my life. Carol Ludvigson, my coach at OU taught me so many things on and off the course that I will take with me until the day I die. I think of her every time I step on the golf course because she invested four years in me and molded me into a better player and person. I hope to one day follow in her footsteps and be half the coach she was. I don’t think there’s a better motivator than Coach Carol. The reason why I still have a passion for golf is because she taught me how to have fun with the game, and to remember that it is just a game. Brent Cryer, The Greens C.C. head pro is another coach I am so thankful to have in my life. I’ve known Brent since I was 8 years old and we have spent countless hours together talking about life, ragging at each other about sports, and working hard on each others golf games. I give him a hard time because every time I ask him for help on the range, it always turns into me watching and critiquing his swing. Brent is another huge factor in why I see golf and life as a ball of fun. He sees the bigger picture and reminds me daily that if I ever saw in myself what he sees, I would be unstoppable. If I make it big one day, I promise I will promote him to either write a book or host his own tv show because he is the most funny guy you will ever meet.


Coach Carol and I at the 2007 Big XII Championship


Brent and I at the 2007 Oklahoma State Match Play Championship

My Sponsors
Without the generous help of a few individuals I have known over the years, I would not be living out my lifelong dream. These kind people have taken a huge chance on me and have such a big heart to financially and emotionally support me. I will never be able to thank this group of people for the experiences and life lessons they are allowing me to have. I hope to one day be able to give back like they have for me.

My Teammates
In my 10 years of playing on golf teams, I have had the best teammates I could ever have asked for. They are my sisters and I have so many fond memories because of them. I miss playing on a golf team but I still receive encouraging words from them at every tournament I play in. I keep up with my teammates and will forever call them that because they pushed and challenged me into being a better golfer.


OU Women's Golf Team at the 2009 Betsy Rawls Invitational in Austin, TX


2005 Santa Fe Womens Golf Team

My list could go on and on about who and what I’m thankful for. I realize most people consider the game of golf as an individual sport. If you happen to look at the list above and see all the key players I have in my life, some might reconsider that idea. There is no way on Earth that I would be playing the game of golf, have the success I’ve had, and have the dreams I have if it wasn’t for the people in my life. It can be a lonely life out on Tour but I feel the love and support daily by the great people I have gotten to know over the years in my journey across the country. I thank each and every one of you who have followed me, encouraged me, and prayed for me. Any bit of success I have is a direct reflection of you.

I am off to Daytona Beach for the Final Stage of the LPGA Qualfiying School. The tournament starts December 2 and runs through December 6. There are 119 girls playing and the playing field will be cut down to top 70 after the 4th round. Top 20 will receive full exempt status to play on Tour next year, with the following 20 receiving partial status. I’m having my long time friend and head pro Chad Lamb caddy for me so it’s going to be a fun week. You can follow live scoring on lpga.com. Thanks everyone and God Bless!

What I’m Reading: Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life by James Blake
What I’m Listening To: Battle Studies – John Mayer

Friday, November 6, 2009

So Long Sunshine State!

Hey everybody! Happy November! I left Oklahoma in the middle of October and come back and it's well into November! I've been down in Lakeland, Florida for the past 10 days. It's been hot and windy but I can't complain. My skin got a little loving because of the UV rays except for the fire ants that attacked me yesterday when I walked alongside a hazard. I think they are going to leave a mark. A little side note here that I'm super excited about....I'm currently posting from 35,000 feet in the air ON AN AIRPLANE! I know this will be nothing new in a few years but I'm one excited girl right now. I've got the perfect little set up right now, I have an empty seat to the left of me with a little cranberry apple juice sitting on it's tray, I've got my mother remaining quiet to the right of me, and unfortunately I have a gassy little kid behind me but I guess that's what keeps it entertaining. We have a three hour flight to Dallas then on to OKC and I cannot wait to get home and see my little hairy dog, friends, and family.

I don't know where to start since I've been gone so long but I'll try to remember how it all went down. I chose to fly into Orlando this time because I've never been there and I grew up an Orlando Magic fan....Penny Hardaway was my favorite baller, that's why my dog is named Penny. We were not disappointed. As we drove to our hotel, we got a free showing of Disney's fireworks. The following four days I played practice rounds, trying to learn the four courses that the Futures Q School was being played on. The weather was nice, hot, with calm winds. I played three of my practice rounds with my good friend Lucy Nunn. We had bets going on for the entire tournament that were worth 25 cents. It's a good thing she's tight with her money or else I'd be broke!

I played with some really neat people this past week. One girl was on the Golf Channel's Big Break in Hawaii. She talked me in to applying for next years show...I'll keep you all posted on how that goes. Another girl was getting back into competitive golf because her husband had been killed in Iraq and she wanted to do something that she loved instead of being a manager at a restaurant. How inspiring is that? Other girls I played with were from Australia, Kenya, Columbia, Peru, Mexico, and Canada. I even played with a girl I call "Egg Roll" who's more American than me. She represents the asian homegirls out there even though she's from Dallas...she's just a wannabe Asian :) (She wanted a shout out so there you go Cung). It's a pretty sweet sport I play because I've got friends from all over the world. It was one of the worst weeks with slow play though. I'm a pretty patient player but I've never wanted to rip out my hair more than this week's tournament. 6 hour rounds can kill a person. I'm happy with how my game is going. I had three chip ins in my round today which is probably a personal best. I wouldn't know because I don't have a memory to remember but it was pretty special. I had a 4th chip hanging on the lip but I guess Jesus just wanted me to have 3 today...which is fine by me. I made a 35 yard pitch shot in my first round so 4 chip ins total is a great week to me. I had one horrific round in the middle of the week. For some reason, after going 73-70, I woke up the third morning with absolutely no confidence in my game and a head full of doubts. It's weird how the body works but I am working on understanding it, recognizing it, and changing it for the better. I'm going to meet with my sports psychologist in the coming weeks to get that sort of stuff under control so I will be healthy in the head for my next tournament.

Thankfully I played really well after my major hiccup round and made the four day cut and played well today, therefore I gained full status on the Futures Tour for the 2010 season. I have one more small tournament back in Daytona Beach, FL at the beginning of December. It's a small one that doesn't mean much at all....JUST KIDDING! It's the LPGA Final Stage of Qualifying School. Something I've been working toward for years and years. This past week really prepared me in knowing what I need to do next month in order to make it on the big tour.

Now while I was gone, I didn't just golf. I would go crazy if that's all my days were consumed of. We decided to go to Downtown Disney yesterday afternoon and go check it out. We took my friend Lucy with us and we had a blast. Since I owed her a few quarters from our bets, I bought the two of us these two foot Mickey pencils so that when we did our pin sheets on the first tee this morning, we might get some stares, maybe a laugh or two. I told her that if she shot under par, she had to use it at the scorers tent. They are hilarious looking so hopefully we can start a trend. I worked on sharpening mine for two hours last night and still didn't get it looking right so that's what kept me entertained for my six hour round today. My cart driver from Peru probably thought I was crazy. I also bought this sweet Jamaican guy keychain...I needed a new keychain because my mom said I needed to get rid of my OU lanyard...since I'm not an OU student athlete anymore :( I guess I needed a more mature, sophisticated one so I bought this:



Lucy and I got a little crazy at Downtown Disney...



Welp, we are about to land in Dallas then on up to OK City! I hope everyone is having a great week and an even better weekend! Boomer Sooner!

What I'm Reading: Lovely Bones
What I'm Listening To: Lady Antebellum