Winning the US Am’s…

What can I say about winning two US Amateur’s? I remember both wins vividly…I didn’t realize it at the time…but in hindsight…that was the best golf of my career during that 2-3 year span.

Let me set the stage…I won the US Junior Girls in 1994. I beat Molly Cooper in the final match at Meadow Lark Country Club in Great Falls, Montana. That win inspired me to want to achieve bigger and better things in golf.

1995…The Country Club in Brookline, MA. That was the site of the US Amateur. I remember registering for the event and catching a glimpse of the trophy…it is still to this day the most incredible and beautiful trophy I have ever seen. Then my Mom told me she had the perfect table for that trophy to go on in our house…that was all the motivation I needed.

I remember my first match. It was against Caroline Peek. She was a bomber and could take advantage of the Par 5’. Here’s the thing: her power didn’t faze me a bit. Match play is such a mental thing. You have to keep the momentum steady and never get too high or too low…the second you loose focus is when you start getting beat. It is imperative to stay in the moment and focus on the shot at hand. I hit Driver, 5 wood into the 1^st hole. Caroline hit Driver, mid iron. I made par and was 1up after the 1^st. I kept chipping away at my matches…one match at a time…and I kept winning.

I remember my match against Kellee Booth. She was one of my biggest competitor’s during my Junior Career. She was a very talented and well rounded player. That match went to the 18^th. I won it 1up. That’s when I knew I was going to win my first US Amateur.

I played Se Ri Park (now known as Se Ri Pak) in the semi finals. I beat her 5&4. She paved the way for so many of the Korean players and was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2007 at 30 year’s old.

I remember my warm up for the final match. I always start my warm up with wedges. Here I am on the biggest stage of my career and my first 3 shots were hosel rockets. My palms started sweating, my heart started racing and I thought, “holy crap…here I am and I have the shanks.” I did the only thing I knew to do…I stood further away from the ball and my “Spanish Fades” disappeared. My final match was against an Australian player name Anne Marie Knight…I won that match 4&3.

Let’s go to 1996…Firethorn Country Club in Lincoln, Nebraska. I was the defending Champion. I took one look at “my trophy” and knew I had to bring it home to go on my Momma’s table. So I did just that. I beat Marisa Baena in the finals and won 3&2.

Here’s what I remember most about my wins…consistency and the will to never quit. Let’s face it…everyone is talented when you get to that level of competition…but the person who wins is the one who stays the most even keeled and doesn’t get ahead of themselves. The one shot at a time mentality is a must.

My advice to any young aspiring golfer: work hard, but most importantly…have fun. Commit yourself to small goals each day and when you achieve your daily goal…leave for the day and do something away from the course. Expect that there will be highs and lows…don’t give the lows too much merit. Focus on the highs and keep building on them…that will do nothing but help develop and build confidence. Confidence is a tricky thing…but it is a vital component to successful golf. And like I mentioned earlier…have fun and enjoy the walk…golf is an incredible game…don’t ever lose sight that it is in fact just a game.

Keep Calm and Play College Golf!!

Kelli Kuehne, Director of Events
College Golf Camps of America