Stroke of Reality: Character building
Kenzie’s rookie year on the Epson Tour wasn’t going as either of us had hoped.
Scores in the mid-70s and missed cuts began stacking up. A year of going through swing changes and the toll of traveling and trying to play the best golf possible caught up to both of us.
The lowest point of our season came in French Lick, Indiana. Pete Dye’s greatest test gave us both a run for our money that week. Between the rain, the delays and the course itself, we had had enough. Kenzie was struggling as we inched our way toward the 36-hole cut. I was too – The Dye is the toughest walk on the schedule. Nonetheless, we trudged on.
5-over on the week and one shot outside of the cutline, the pressure was on. We needed to make the weekend desperately and we were running out of holes.
Kenzie birdied the par 4 17th, putting us right on the cutline.
Finishing on the par 5 18th, we both felt good about our chances. We made a bogey – another missed cut, this time by a single stroke that came on the 36th hole. Tears came down her face before she even holed out.
A pity party and a couple of adult beverages were soon in order but we both pulled our bootstraps back up as we wanted to finish the season strong. Over the next month, some things worked out and some things didn’t, but that’s golf.
In mid-September, a microcosm of the entire year played out over the course of 36 holes.
Playing a Robert Trent Jones design in Prattville, Alabama, Kenzie began her week with three straight bogeys. She settled in soon after but was unable to get birdies on the card and posted a 5 over 77.
Needing a solid round, Kenzie, myself and her parents had a pep talk that would rival any pregame Super Bowl speech.
Down but not out, Kenzie was fired up and turned around to post a 4 under 68. Thinking 1 over might get in, Kenzie had a 5-foot side hill slider on the final hole that she needed to make to make it interesting.
The ball rolled perfectly into the center of the cup. BANG!
“LET’S GO,” I shouted. “THAT’S MY GIRL!”
With her back against the wall, Kenzie delivered. We were back to what we knew… playing good golf.
While the 68 wasn’t enough to make the cut, it served plenty of purpose in giving us both confidence as the season began to come to an end. With our chins held high, we trekked back west to Arkansas where we held hope for a chance to make our LPGA debut.