Hello Illini Nation!
Hope you and your family and friends are all staying safe during these times! There has been a lot of change the past few months, but despite it all we have been presented with many new opportunities. I work at Ruth Lake Country Club where my swing coach Mark Labiak has provided me endless opportunities to continue to build my skills throughout the summer. The team also meets every week for team zoom calls to catch up and get ourselves prepared for whatever challenges and opportunities we have ahead. Illinois Golf has been lucky enough to be provided with another resource of the new Atkins Golf Club from the generous donation of the Atkins family. We are very excited about the coming additions to our practice facility at Demirjian. We would like to thank all of the fellow Illini fans who have been so supportive of our program over the years!
This summer I have been lucky enough to play in a few tournaments! It has been great being able to be back out competing and continuing to develop my game this summer. I started out my summer in Texas where I competed in the Texas Women's Open. The Texas PGA did a great job of instilling guidelines to help with the safety of all of the players and staff. After the Texas Open I was fortunate to play in the Golfweek Myrtle Beach Collegiate at the Dye Course. This event was created this year to offer opportunities for players to compete after many tournaments had been cancelled. After South Carolina, I headed up to Crystal Mountain, Michigan, where I played in the Michigan PGA Women's Open. This event was very well run and had the players safety being of the utmost importance.
Throughout the tournaments there were some obvious changes. Before and after every trip I was sure to get tested and quarantined until my results came back so that I would not put others at risk. Although every tournament differed in small ways, the overarching rules were similar. All scoring was done on phones as opposed to paper cards that would be swapped around, flags were either kept in throughout the round or only pulled out by volunteers, spectators were not permitted and players had to maintain social distancing throughout the round. The staff made sure to spread out practice facility areas, keep everything sanitary, avoid all crowds, and ensure that masks were worn indoors and whenever others were in contact at all times. These restrictions were well thought out and it was clear that the tournament staff had put a lot of time into making sure that everyone was safe. I feel very fortunate that I have been given the opportunities to compete this summer and continue to build my game.
As always, Go Illini and have a safe rest of your summer!
