By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
If Lauren Mashburn thought she grew up on a golf course, the 2009 Madisonville-North Hopkins graduate will be spending even more time on the links in preparation for the collegiate season after signing a letter of intent to play at Centre College.
Mashburn, a co-captain for the Lady Maroon golf team, announced she will continue her career at Centre last week. The step seems to be one of a progression in the career of a golfer who took to the sport from a young age.
"My family has always lived on the golf course, so I rode around with dad with my little two-foot tall golf clubs for quite a while, since probably I learned how to walk," Mashburn said.
As a child, Mashburn began to learn the basics of golf at Lakeshore Country Club and beginning her seventh grade year, she played competitively for North at the same course.
North coach Sam Westfall said there are multiple characteristics that helped Mashburn establish herself as a collegiate prospect.
"Two things, I think she worked real hard when she was in high school and I think she's just a real, real good student," he said. "She worked hard like the way she did around the golf course."
Mashburn said it's nice to continue her career especially at such a prestigious school.
Mashburn, a co-captain for the Lady Maroon golf team, announced she will continue her career at Centre last week. The step seems to be one of a progression in the career of a golfer who took to the sport from a young age.
"My family has always lived on the golf course, so I rode around with dad with my little two-foot tall golf clubs for quite a while, since probably I learned how to walk," Mashburn said.
As a child, Mashburn began to learn the basics of golf at Lakeshore Country Club and beginning her seventh grade year, she played competitively for North at the same course.
North coach Sam Westfall said there are multiple characteristics that helped Mashburn establish herself as a collegiate prospect.
"Two things, I think she worked real hard when she was in high school and I think she's just a real, real good student," he said. "She worked hard like the way she did around the golf course."
Mashburn said it's nice to continue her career especially at such a prestigious school.
"It means more that I'm getting to play at Centre because they focus more on academics and arts," she said.
In addition to its reputation for academic success, Centre ranks in Golf World Magazine's top 20 in Division III according to a release from the school.
Still, Centre coach Brian Chafin said he believes Mashburn can work her way into the lineup as a freshman.
"I expect Lauren to compete for a top five spot next year as a first-year student at Centre," he said. "She has the ability to play at our level if she dedicates herself to working on her game."
Mashburn said she recently played a round with Centre assistant Tom Campbell and the pair discussed the areas she must focus on as the summer progresses.
"The stipulations were I needed to work on my short game and work on getting up and down around the green," Mashburn said. "If I did that, then my scores would drop tremendously and I wouldn't have to worry about my spot. But as of right now, with my scores as they are, I think me and another girl are still competing for the fifth and sixth spots."
As with any sport, one of the best ways to improve is through constant repetition and practice.
"My short game has never really been up to par, so I've been spending hours and hours on the driving range hitting buckets and buckets of range balls," Mashburn said.
Besides hitting the range, Mashburn said she also plans to participate in the Greater Owensboro Golf Series and play events in Evansville and the Pepsi Tour this summer. She also qualified for the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur at Bardstown Country Club on July 8-9.
No matter the result of her tournaments this summer, Mashburn said she's confident an environment like Centre's will help her excel.
"I think actually moving to a place where there are a lot players that are significantly better than me, and instead of me looking for my competition at tournaments, I can look at my competition everyday," she said. "Because I'm such a competitive player, I think it will help me improve faster."
In addition to its reputation for academic success, Centre ranks in Golf World Magazine's top 20 in Division III according to a release from the school.
Still, Centre coach Brian Chafin said he believes Mashburn can work her way into the lineup as a freshman.
"I expect Lauren to compete for a top five spot next year as a first-year student at Centre," he said. "She has the ability to play at our level if she dedicates herself to working on her game."
Mashburn said she recently played a round with Centre assistant Tom Campbell and the pair discussed the areas she must focus on as the summer progresses.
"The stipulations were I needed to work on my short game and work on getting up and down around the green," Mashburn said. "If I did that, then my scores would drop tremendously and I wouldn't have to worry about my spot. But as of right now, with my scores as they are, I think me and another girl are still competing for the fifth and sixth spots."
As with any sport, one of the best ways to improve is through constant repetition and practice.
"My short game has never really been up to par, so I've been spending hours and hours on the driving range hitting buckets and buckets of range balls," Mashburn said.
Besides hitting the range, Mashburn said she also plans to participate in the Greater Owensboro Golf Series and play events in Evansville and the Pepsi Tour this summer. She also qualified for the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur at Bardstown Country Club on July 8-9.
No matter the result of her tournaments this summer, Mashburn said she's confident an environment like Centre's will help her excel.
"I think actually moving to a place where there are a lot players that are significantly better than me, and instead of me looking for my competition at tournaments, I can look at my competition everyday," she said. "Because I'm such a competitive player, I think it will help me improve faster."
No comments:
Post a Comment