Hi Illini Nation!
Reena Sulkar: I cannot believe it is already August! I am counting down the days until we can all be together in person as a team again. I did have the opportunity to catch up with Tristyn and Sarah at the Women's Western Amateur at Prestwick CC. It was so great to see them after four months! We all played the practice round together and it felt as though we had never been apart. As this was my first tournament of the summer, I was able to finally experience what playing competitive golf is like in the midst of the pandemic. I want to sincerely thank the Women's Western Golf Association for their commitment to hosting a safe and enjoyable event. From giving out hand sanitizer to enacting a touchless scoring protocol, all the precautions put in place ensured the safety of all players, caddies, and officials. All in all, I had a great time getting out and competing again and am looking forward to returning to campus soon!
Tristyn Nowlin: It has been a while since I have been in competition, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play up at Prestwick Country Club for the 2020 Women's Western Amateur! This summer has definitely played out differently than any of us had initially planned for, but I feel that it has given me plenty of time to be diligent and more motivated than ever to get back into competition. I am grateful that I had plenty of time to analyze and prepare my golf game after a break from the competitive atmosphere. I was able to tap into this preparation and battle back from a rough middle stretch of the 2nd round to make it into match play. Unfortunately, my ball striking during the first round of match play simply was not where it needed to be. Still, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play against such a strong competitor and get some more match play experience! I was able to gather plenty of information regarding what I need to work on, and what mental strategies work the best in pressure situations during this tournament. It felt great to finally be back in competition mode! It was wonderful to be able to see Reena and Sarah again at this tournament. I definitely missed the atmosphere that my teammates provide when we are in (and out) of competition mode. Words cannot express how excited I am to be *safely* reunited with the entire team in the coming weeks!
Sarah Hauenstein: It has been a crazy summer, but we are all so excited for the return to campus and all the opportunities we have ahead. This summer I was fortunate to play in a handful of tournaments, but the Women's Western Amateur was the perfect way to round out the summer. It was so great being able to see my two teammates Reena and Tristyn during the practice round and cheer them on throughout the event. I had a solid two rounds of golf where I posted a pair of 75s to put me at 6 over. This number ended up being the cutline which sent me into a 5-woman playoff. It was such a great experience to be in a high-pressure situation and although I didn't advance to the rounds of match play, I was able to take a lot of positives away from the tournament. The tournament was run extremely well with the safety of players and staff being at the forefront of all operations. Overall it was such a fun experience and I felt extremely fortunate to be able to participate in the event. Can't wait to be safely back on campus with the rest of the team and continue to rep the Orange and Blue!
