Recruit PKB: Getting out of Trouble

How many times do you find yourself behind a tree or stuck under a limb wondering if you can pull the shot off? How many times do you punch out sideways to play it safe instead of advancing it down the fairway? But the important question to ask yourself is how many times do you actually practice these shots? Growing up my dad use to go out on the course with me late in the afternoons with a shag bag full of balls. We would throw them down in the trees and practice hitting different punch shots. I learned how to shape the ball around trees, hit off sidehills lies, edges of bunkers...all kinds of shots from tough lies and situations. I learned how to confidently get myself out of trouble. I could make a better decision when I got in those positions because I had practiced [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00October 6th, 2013|Player Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Forget About It

As a player myself, I know how tough it is to let go of a bad shot or bad hole. The year I finished runner up at the US Women's Am I had a sticker on my golf bag that said "Forget About It". We were playing just outside of NYC and I got the sticker out of a machine at dinner early in the week. The cameras would occasionally show the sticker on TV and the media would even ask me about it after my rounds. It became my mantra for the week and even later on in my professional career. I know that many times you tell yourself to put a bad shot or bad hole behind you, yet it still carries over and affects the rest of your round. You lose confidence and find yourself hesitant over the next shot. You start to worry [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00September 15th, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Keep up with your stats

A great way to become a complete player is learning to keep up with your stats. I know many of the parents do this but taking ownership of this as a player can really help you learn more about your game. Collegiate players keep track of their own stats and input them after every tournament. At a minimum, they keep up with fairways, greens, putts, up/downs and bunker up/downs. As a professional, when I wrote down my score after each hole I would also jot down F for hitting the fairway, G for hitting the green, tally marks for putts, U/D or Sand if I got it up and down, or a slash through U/D or Sand if I didn't. Then I would add them each up at the end of the round. While there are more detailed ways of keeping up with stats, these are a [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00August 25th, 2013|Player Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Where the Magic Happens

“You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” - Brian Tracy I don't write very many articles about anything personal to my life but this past week proved to be a great lesson in golf as well as life. I visited a prison last Saturday for a Forgiven Ministries event where the inmates could earn a day with their children for good behavior over a 90 day period. While these men were obviously getting their life on track and doing things right in order to have this privilege it was still a rather nerve racking experience. It was even more nerve racking for someone like myself who spent most of her life very quiet, shy and reserved. But getting out of my comfort zone is something I have learned to do on a regular basis lately and [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:58-04:00May 22nd, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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News: Porvasnik Wins Ohio HS Championship

NOVEMBER, 2012 - The awards were piling high in her Hinckley Township bedroom and the commitment to Ohio State was made after an exhausting search up and down the East Coast. Still, there was one thing missing from Jessica Porvasnik’s resume: A Division I state championship. It was the only link needed to an otherwise incredible high school career by the golf machine out of Highland. Though the game she loves doesn’t always reward the best player, wearing that gold medal was a burning desire in Porvasnik’s heart. Highland senior Jessica Porvasnik is the 2012 Gazette MVP for girls golf. (PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RON SCHWANE) What makes the first four-time Gazette MVP in Medina County history tick is her will to be great. Second is for losers. There’s only room for one at the top of the mantle. Porvasnik was already mentally tough well beyond her 17 years. [...]

By |2013-01-21T20:38:44-05:00November 20th, 2012|Players in the News|0 Comments
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News: Legacy Wins 4A SCHS State Title

LEXINGTON, SC — OCTOBER 31, 2012 At the Country Club of Lexington on Tuesday, the wind did not let up and neither did Sydney Legacy at her home course. Legacy was the tournament’s individual medalist with an 36-hole score of 144. She sealed the win with a second-round 73, parring every hole but the par-4 third. South Aiken’s Taylor Dodson placed second in the state with a 145. “It felt awesome,” Legacy said. Her team also took the title. Lexington extended its first-round lead, shooting 302 to top Spartanburg by 43 strokes and reclaim the Class 4A girls golf title. “We’re just excited to get a win again,” said sophomore Lauren Stephenson, who shot a 73, shaving one stroke from her first round total. See Final Results

By |2013-01-21T20:41:42-05:00October 31st, 2012|Players in the News|0 Comments
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News: Smith Wins 3A SC State Golf Title

CONWAY, SC - OCTOBER 24, 2012 Wren junior Cayla Smith carded rounds of 72 and 75, which was good enough for 3-over par, to win the Class AAA individual title at the girls golf state tournament Tuesday at the Hackler Golf Course in Conway. Smith is Wren's third consecutive state medalist. Kaitlin Matheson, who is now playing for the University of South Carolina, won the AAAA crown in 2010 and Maegan Higgins, who is at Wofford this year, won it in 2011. She carried a one-shot lead into the 17th hole of the last round and held off Annika Bovender of Academic Magnet. See Final Results

By |2013-01-21T20:41:54-05:00October 31st, 2012|Players in the News|0 Comments
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News: Bae Wins 4A NCHS State Title

PINEHURST, NC - OCTOBER 30, 2012 Tears again came to Sarah Bae’s eyes as she walked off the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 6 Golf Course Tuesday. But these were different tears from last year, when the Athens Drive golfer finished third individually at the 4A girls’ golf state championships only to realize later that her performance was enough to help capture a team title. These were tears of happiness, gratitude and the sweet relief of a finally grabbing the girls golf championship that had been her goal since her freshman year. Bae sank a 21-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat New Bern’s Ashley Osiecki. The only qualifier from her school, Bae had no teammates to celebrate with this year, but her friends from conference schools like Fuquay-Varina, Middle Creek, Green Hope and Lee County rooted her on and were the first to [...]

By |2013-01-21T20:42:14-05:00October 31st, 2012|Players in the News|0 Comments
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News: Simmons Wins 3A NCHS State Title

SOUTHERN PINES — OCTOBER 30, 2012 Tara Simmons of Pikeville Charles B. Aycock won her second consecutive individual state title on Tuesday in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s state 3-A women’s golf championships at the Longleaf Golf and Country Club. Simmons was one shot back entering the final day of play, but her consistent 77-77--154 under difficult playing conditions gave her the title by four shots. Chandler Danielson of West Henderson was second with a 158 total, and first-day leader Ashley Sloup of South Brunswick had an 83 in the final round for 159. The championship layout was a par 71 and 5,770 yards. Ledford, the defending 3-A team champion, made it two in a row with a 251 team total on Tuesday for a 506, 12 shots ahead of the field. Ledford had opened a nine-shot lead after the first day. West Henderson was [...]

By |2013-01-21T20:42:24-05:00October 31st, 2012|Players in the News|0 Comments
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News: Rusher Wins 1A/2A NCHS State Title

FOXFIRE VILLAGE— OCTOBER 30, 2012 Defending champion Isabella Rusher of Salisbury fired the only par round of the entire tournament on Tuesday to pull away and win the individual crown in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s state 1-A/2-A women’s golf championships at the West Course at the Foxfire Resort and Golf Club in Foxfire Village. Rusher won the championship for the second consecutive year but did so much more easily this time. She won the title by a single shot a year ago, but her even par 71 on Tuesday gave her a 146 total, four over par for the tournament, under cold and blustery conditions. The course was set at par 71 and a 5,765-yard layout for the championship. North Surry’s Kasey Tolbert had two rounds of 79 for a 158 total, good for second place eight shots back. Rusher’s teammate Grace Yatawara was [...]

By |2013-01-21T20:42:38-05:00October 31st, 2012|Players in the News|0 Comments
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