Both Johnny Miller and I were quite a bit younger in this photo

I began playing junior golf in Sonoma County when I was 7 years old. Oakmont was my home course. At first I competed in local JGANC (Junior Golf Association of Northern California) tournaments. My favorite tournaments were the Johnny Miller invitational at Silverado CC, the JGANC Tournament of Champions at Pebble Beach, and the California State Girls Championship in Monterey.

Starting in junior high, I competed in the nationwide AJGA (American Jr Golf Association) and USGA organizations. My biggest achievement was winning the Junior World Girls 13-14 Division, which earned me a trip to Nagoya to play in the Japan Cup, my first international competition.

High school was full of national tournaments and lots of travel. I played on the Montgomery High School boys golf team as there were no girls teams at that time. We won the North Bay League every year and I played from the back tees. In my junior year of high school, I played the 1998 USGA Girls Junior Championship held at the infamous Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania — shooting a 69 the first day and getting an eagle in front of a group of college coaches garnered quite a bit of attention! My Mom’s favorite tournament was the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions played in Orlando. Each year when I lost in match play, I was handed free tickets to Disney World.

I completed my junior national career ranked 6th in Golfweek/Titleist Amateur Rankings and third in my recruiting class. All that hard work paid off — in my senior year of high school I was recruited by the University of Texas, a top powerhouse Division 1 golf school.

Some of my junior highlights include:

  • Champion. Junior World Girls 13-14 Division. Shot 76-68-74 including my first under-par round in competition.
  • USGA Girls Junior Championship. Medalist. Advanced to semi-finals in match play.
  • Three time AJGA Junior Rolex All-American. AJGA career: won two tournaments, five runner-up and three top 5 finishes.
  • Runner-up: California State Girls Golf Championship and California Women’s Championship.
  • Two time winner. Girls JGANC Tournament of Champions.
  • NorCal CIF/NCGA Girls Individual Champion representing Montgomery HS.