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

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

Leaving Town

I'm off once again back down to Lakeland, Florida for the Futures Tour Qualifying Tournament. This is my second go at it and hopefully I can play a little better than I did last year. We are there for 9 days but it's going to be a fun time because a lot of my friends will be down there playing as well. You can follow our progress at www.futurestour.com.

I've been home for less than a week but I'm ready to get back into competition. I've enjoyed being at home for a short time, seeing friends and family once again. I'm still going strong with the P90X workouts, I'm on to week 3 now. I got a massage tonight and he mentioned that I've definitely gotten better with my flexibility so I'm happy with that even if I haven't lost a whole lot of weight yet.

I'm seeing "This is It" with my friend Mindy tonight so I'm really excited about it. I hope it's as good as everyone is saying it is. Welp, this is a short entry but I figured I should let everyone know where I'll be for the next week and a half. The first round starts on November 2 and runs til November 6. I have to head home that night because there's a big wedding on the 7th that I'm soooo excited about! I hope everyone is staying healthy and enjoying the cooler weather!

What I'm Reading: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
What I'm Listening to: The Blueprint 3 - Jay Z

Hey Hey From Our Nation’s Capital

Welp, Mama Dye and I have found our way to Bethesda, Maryland this week. We flew into D.C. yesterday and were welcomed with some wintery temps. I played a practice round by my lonesome yesterday (which I secretly love to do) and jammed out with a little with Michael Jackson. Girls were looking at me like I was smoking crack. Some people take state opens a little too serious. My mom and I drove around and around until I took control and said we are going downtown for dinner! We got some grub and she was a happy girl because she got her ice cream fix for the day. You know, that lady has an addictive behavior. It used to be Sonic Diet Cokes but now that the doctor said no more for you, she turns to ice cream like it’s going out of style. I started doing P90X this past week and these ice cream trips have got to stop! By the way, I officially completed my first full week of P90, only 13 weeks left. Holy moly. People laugh, but you know if I’m going to be on Tour next year, I don’t want to get embarrassed by Wie Wie. This 5’4 frame has got to hold her own.


My high school friend Rosie and my Aunt Cathy

#17 Par 3 at Bethesda Country Club

#9 Par 3 at Bethesda Country Club


#2 Par 3 at Bethesda Country Club
I had my first round of the Maryland Womens Open today. I had a late tee time, which I love, so I slept in and woke to the sound of the deliveryman with my hot breakfast. I promise you, my life sucks. ☺ My longtime friend/high school teammate Rosie, came to watch me for the first 9 and I felt as if I was playing sloppy. I decided to get even sloppier when I made the turn. I actually felt a little anger flare up but I decided that’s no way to be out on a golf course so I decided to go birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, lip out birdie putt and made par. The birdies were more exciting for the gallery than for me because I just wanted to erase all my nastiness that I had done earlier. I shot 75 and I’m 4 shots back of the leader. My crazy Aunt who also came to watch told me tonight at dinner that I have to make 18 birdies tomorrow, but to not put too much pressure on myself. Ha! Easier said than done but she predicted my birdie string today so we will see if she’s right again. I’m off to bed but will check back in tomorrow when we make our journey over to Winchester, Virginia to see my grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. So excited to see them!


What I’m Reading: Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
What I’m Listening To: Michael Buble, Crazy Love Album

My bad...

Hey everybody,

I’ve been meaning to write but it has taken me a while because I have been a busy little girl. Now that I am on the road again, I have time to update!

A quick little refresher of the past 2 weeks (this is more for my own self because I have the memory of a 90 year old thanks to a large consumption of Diet Coke the last 22 years):

My parents and I went the OU-Miami game and sat with the player’s families. I’m pretty sure everyone knows the outcome of that game so we will just leave it at that. Flew back home to OKC to some freezing cold temps. I completely missed the transition of seasons and my sun burned skin wasn’t prepared for goose bumps and under armor. I took off a whole week because I was slightly tired of golf, okay, realllllly tired of golf. Heck, I played for 3 straight weeks without a day off, my muscles and bones were aching.

I spent some time with my brother and sister-in-law, with friends, and catching up on some sleep. I was able to go down to Norman a few times and see the team and hang out with them at the OU-Baylor game. I sure do miss being down there and I really miss the convenience on game days…driving down from the city on a game day is no fun at all!



I’ve been having some problems with my left hand so I talked to a few OU trainers and it looks like I have a ganglion cyst underneath my left pinky finger. I told them I was just going to take a needle to it because it’s pretty painful but they freaked and said NO! …I was only kidding but I want to do something to it so it’ll go away, any suggestions?

Anywho, I was able to run/walk in a 5k marathon for Race for the Cure. I wasn’t exactly excited about paying money to wake up at the butt crack of dawn on a Saturday morning to run that many miles in freezing cold temps but once I got there and saw how many people had shown up, I decided I was where I needed to be. I was with my best friend Whitney for the whole 3.1 miles and we had a blast! I am now going to look into doing more 5k runs and see if I can actually run the whole thing and do it in a respectable time.



I played in a fun 4-man scramble with my long time friend Reece and I played from the ladies tees. I probably wasn’t supposed to play in it, especially from those tees but I had taken a full week off so I was rusty! Reecey and I went on to the Thunder game and sat with some friends and saw Taylor Griffin and the Phoenix Suns play. It was a really fun day and I was able to catch up with some of my favorite people. I saw Couples Retreat with Mindy (waste of money) and Law Abiding Citizen with Cung (I recommend!) and spent the rest of the week practicing and playing at my club and down in Norman.

I decided to watch the OU-Texas game at home even though we had a flight out of DFW at 8am Sunday morning. I’m kind of glad we chose to do that because now I know that I’m not the reason why OU loses on the road. I just found out that we aren’t even ranked in the top 25 and I’m not sure what to think about that. All I want is for Sam to get healthy, maybe get that surgery so he can swing a golf club again and move on to the big leagues. People are always going to remember him as a Heisman winner, one of the best quarterbacks college football has ever seen, and more importantly a stand up guy who is going to be successful no matter how his NFL career goes. Okay this post is getting way too long. As Al Eschbach would say seeeee yaaa!

Best Caddie in the World

I feel like I should tell people my secret. It’s been on my mind lately, as a lot of things have, and I think everyone would benefit from hearing it:

September was the month of LPGA Q School. Very strenuous, very long, very tiring. California’s sectional did not treat me well and so I was shipped off to Florida for a second chance. I had a rough first round but knew that if I kept going, and kept up the good attitude, things were going to turn around, they would have to.

I was told before I left for California that my destiny was already set. I wouldn’t be able to change it, and to just enjoy the ride as it came. I believed the man who told me that because he is a man of faith and has also been successful on Tour for years and years and knows what he’s talking about. He also told me that no particular golf shot was life or death, which comforted me in knowing that no single shot had greater importance than another.

When I arrived in Florida and met my caddie, I knew that something wasn’t right so I decided to play the whole week on my own, or so people thought. I knew that this would be my last shot for an entire year and I didn’t want to have any distractions or excuses. When people saw me playing that week, they only saw me hitting the shots and only me driving the cart. Little did they know that I had the best caddie in the entire field that week. Some can call me crazy but God was with me every step of the way. I know that my good shots are because of Him and my bad shots are because of Him. When I put my ball in jail, I truly believe that God helps me out of there. I’d like to think we are a pretty good tag team. When I put my approach in the water on the 72nd hole, I knew that my chances were slim to none for qualifying for the final stage. I was so grateful for being in that tight situation, for playing tough for 4 straight days and I knew that God was teaching me a lesson for my future. As the time passed and I saw my name jump up into the top 30, I thought, “geez that was a wonderful lesson but man, I promise I’m a fast learner and can take it with me to the Final Stage for this year!” Sure enough, I made it and my destiny was written in a dramatic fashion.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7

You know, when I was watching the OU-Texas game the other day, most would say that Colt McCoy struggled in the first half. I saw that after a 3rd and out he was running off the field and he pointed to the sky. I knew right then what he was thinking. No matter the situation, praise God, stay patient and things will turn out alright. Things turned out alright for Colt and the Longhorns but I just thought that was an awesome sight to see when he could have been down in the dumps. No matter what you are doing, stay tough, stay positive, and give God your absolute best.

I have one more story that’s been on my mind that people may or may not believe but I’d like to share it:

My good friend just lost his dad in a car accident. I was in California when it happened and when the funeral occurred. I knew his dad and what a fun guy he was so I knew that my friend had been hurting. I spend a lot of time at my club with him and so last week we decided to play 18 holes together. He hadn’t played in a few weeks due to the recent events so I figured it would be good for him to get out and play. Right off the bat he started off strong and found himself a couple under par at the turn. Every time he made a birdie or made a great shot, I thought of his dad. I’m really not sure if he thought the same thing but it just made me sad to think that if he wanted to call his dad after the round to say he shot in the 60s, he wouldn’t be able to. It broke my heart because I report to my family after almost every round, especially if it was a good one. On the other hand, it made me smile every time he made a great shot or a birdie because I knew that his dad was able to see every single swing. On one tee shot, his ball was heading straight for the creek and he got a little upset but I told him, “Hey you never know, you might’ve gotten lucky!” Sure enough, we drove down there, the ball was sitting pretty and he goes on to make par. He got a lot of breaks that round and made a lot of good shots as well. He’s a talented golfer but I just can’t help in thinking that his dad was on the bag for that round and I’m pretty sure he will be on there for a long, long time.

(He shot in the 60s if you were wondering.)

Halle...Lu...Yuh!

When most people think of Q School they think of the horror stories of missed tap ins on the 72nd hole, they think of going into the water or out of bounds late in the tournament, or they think of missing the cut by just a shot. Believe me, I'm well aware of those stories without having to read the books that have been written. I walked off the 18th green yesterday thinking I was a victim of that awful recurring story.

I was in the first group off for the final round and began with a bogey. Something that I haven't done in quite some time. I recovered with a birdie on the par 5 fourth but followed that up my putting my approach on five into the water for a double. I knew that I had plenty of golf left so I didn't press. I made another long bomb on the ninth for a birdie to go one over at the turn. I can promise you this, I don't remember the last time I hit my irons so poorly. I don't know what was up with me this week but they were nasty nasty. I am pretty sure I hit the ball better as a middle schooler than I did the past few days. I had a really dumb bogey on 11 but came back with a great birdie on 14. I was trying not to get ahead of myself but by being one over with four holes to play, I thought one more birdie would be a great round and give me a good chance to make the cut. I felt like the entire day was a struggle and to be able to score around par would show that it doesn't matter how I'm hitting it, I can find the hole other sorts of ways. I had birdie putts on 15, 16, and 17 but failed to make them so I went into 18 wanting to hit driver but decided to go with the three wood since I had only used my driver twice on the back side. The driver worked well for me all week but for some reason, I used the three wood. No regrets I thought....

I aimed out the right side of the fairway, relying on the big ol' draw I had going this week but it didn't come back to the left so it stayed in the right rough. I get down to my ball and it's sitting down in a crap lie. I have about 162 to the flag with all water to carry and wind that was not in my favor. There is fairway over to the left that goes all the way to the green but I gave that option about 3 seconds and then went back to deciding what club I was going to hit. As soon as I hit the 5 iron I reacted negatively by seeing that ball come out low and short and I did not want to see it splash. I went down to the water, dropped another, hit a 9 iron up and over and two putted for double. The life and energy was completely out of me as I walked off the green. I shook my head and could not believe what a bone head mistake I had just done. That is what a caddie is for, but I should be more experienced to know that I should hit over to the left side, rely on my up and down game and worst case scenario take a bogey and go tally up the scores. But instead I went for it and shot 75. One of the worst decisions I have made in my golf life. I will promise you all that I will never do something like that again.


I think Jesus was shining on me here for the birdie putt


Sitting here in shock, not believing what I just did on 18.

My parents and I left the course and I was planning on going to pack up and head to Miami for the weekend but instead we went to grab some lunch and watched the leader board on our phones. At first my name was one shot below the cut line and I figured that would be a great lesson learned for myself. But as we finished lunch, I jumped ahead of the cut line so I looked at it and tried to figure out how I could be bumped back down below the cut line but it was looking like there was no way that I could be dropped. So we went to our condo, packed up, and headed back to the clubhouse and watched as the news became official. I had made the cut by one! I was so drained that I didn't really celebrate, more relieved than anything. We had a mandatory meeting to discuss the final stage tournament in December held in Daytona Beach, FL. I'm so thankful that there is another day and something to look forward to through the fall.


Izzy B and I representing the Sooner Golfers at Q School

My parents and I drove through Alligator Alley and made it to Ft. Lauderdale. We moseyed on over to Hollywood Beach and walked the boardwalk and found an open air restaurant to eat a late dinner. There are some crazy lookin' people in Miami and it makes you feel kinda normal ha! I went to bed before 11 and never heard my dad snore and never heard the train outside my window go "choo choo!" I think I was a little tired.

We are up and ready to go to Miami Beach, maybe take a little visit to Dash to see if the Kardashian sisters are in town. It's going to take a while to get to Land Shark Stadium tonight because of the traffic so we will head over there pretty early. Say a prayer for my Sooners, my road record is not very good so if we come out on the short end then I promise not to go to another road game this year, especially not the Big 12 Championship because I'll be in Daytona Beach! Thank the good good Lord!!