Masters of Vision

Interview

It was awkward at first:

I didn’t like the limelight — didn’t want to be on stage. One of the coaches saw that I was missing putts on purpose so I didn’t have to give a victory speech. So she had first, second AND third give speeches. So my master plan didn’t work out. But I figured: if I have to give a speech anyways, I might as well win. Even now, I always get a little nervous. I’ve never been a person to say “hey, look at me!” I like to let my clubs do the talking.

She developed a mantra:

I always just kind of say, “take it one shot at a time.” I try to be positive in everything I do. My visor reads, “FACE THE FEAR.” If there’s something I don’t like — a challenge or something tough — I’d rather get right to it. There’s no sense in waiting and letting it linger.

And learned to believe in her ability:

You have to trust yourself. I compare it to a boxer — have you put the time in at the gym? Then let’s go do it! Practice makes perfect and you have to translate what you practice to competition. So I don’t hit shots I never hit — I hit what I know. It gives me piece of mind, knowing that I’m prepared when I step on the course. If there’s a new shot you need to hit — go work on it. And when you’re ready to put it in play, do it. I believe in my ability. I just try to find the ball and execute.

By tuning out the hype:

I don’t listen to what other people think — other than my coach or my caddie. I practice setting goals, then focus on achieving them. That’s what I want to do. It’s black and white — my game has strengths and it has areas where I need to spend time working on it. My goal is to be the best in every category — it’s always more, more, more. They’re lofty goals, for sure. But that’s my motivation: why settle for anything but the very best?