Nov. 8, 2005
by Sam Miller, UI Sports Information
What have you learned from Coach Smith?
Casey Burden, sophomore: Coach Smith has taught me a lot about the game of golf and how it relates to life. She has taught me to put things in perspective when things aren't going as well as I would like. She has taught me to stay patient with myself and my game. These may seem like subtle things, but they are very crucial to developing your skills as a golfer at the collegiate level.
Kristine Cook, sophomore: Coach Smith has taught me many things. A few things are not to get angry with myself when I have a bad shot or bad hole. She has taught me many mental aspects of the game and also much about the game. She has helped me in my putting by making myself keep my head on the ball until I hear the ball go into the
cup. This has helped my putting out a lot.
Seul Ki Park, sophomore: I never really thought about my mental abilities as a golfer until I started playing for Coach Smith. She taught me to accept bad shots, to be calm and relaxed, thinking about the present at all times during the game, focusing on pre-shot routines, and basically all the mental aspects of the golf game that can help me and develop a better mental ability or skill as a golfer. She helped me establish goals for myself that I can accomplish every time I'm out practicing or in a tournament.
Meghan Naik, junior: The way you golf does not define who you are. She always looks for the positive in everything, especially in people.
Transitioning to college takes some time. Do you have any advice to offer about golf or school in general?
Kelsey O'Neal, freshman: Adjusting to the time commitments you have is probably the biggest challenge. Being a collegiate athlete comes with a lot of responsibilities and time commitments. Good time management is something really important to develop, because you want to be able to focus on your game not everything else you need to get accomplished.
Burden: Golf is a game of patience, focus, determination, and integrity. Golf really shows you someone's personality. How they react to shots - good or bad - how they conduct themselves, and how they treat their playing partners really shows one's character. In golf and in college in general, staying patient, focused and determined will get you very far. Don't let the little things bring you down. A bad round is a bad round. You can always make a comeback.
Cook: College golf is totally different, especially when you are in season and traveling and missing classes. My advice is to study on trips... I hardly ever did my freshman year and that landed me with some bad test grades from not studying on the road. You have to make time for practice, homework, and friends, and it's really hard to manage if you don't make responsible choices.
Megan Godfrey, senior: Have fun! Enjoy the amazing opportunities as a college golfer. Four years goes by way too fast! Also, work ahead during the week so you don't have too much homework on trips.
After graduating from Illinois, what are your plans?
Park: If I'm golfing well in college where I'm consistently shooting par or better, I will pursue a professional golfing career. I'm a community health major and someday want to become a nurse with this degree. I've always wanted to nurse in the ER where there's a lot of pressure.
Naik: My internship at the PGA TOUR this past summer helped me find my career path. I want to do something related to Public Relations in the business side of golf.
Godfrey: I hope to play on the LPGA Tour.
Megan O'Neal, redshirt senior: I plan on teaching at elementary school level.
