A Palm Springs New Year
I was able to spend the first week of 2023 in the desert for a few days of golf, practice and to see some friends. Jason Thompson and his family were so generous as to let me stay at their lovely home in La Quinta and practice and play The Palms. I spent the first two days working on my game, getting some good practice in and playing The Palms.
The next course I was lucky enough to play was Tradition. I played with my two friends Lynn, whom I met in Monterey and Richard, who I play regularly with in San Diego. This was an extra incredible experience because I was fortunate to have Juli Inkster as our 4th. We also had a 5th join us, Mike, who worked at Nike with my brother. As most of you know, Juli is a legend when it comes to Women’s Golf. She is one of the few women to ever win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles, she has 31 victories on the LPGA Tour including 7 majors and has more Solheim Cup match wins than any other American. She is truly one of the best golfers to this day and it was amazing to have the chance to play 18 holes with her and hear all about her career. In addition to that, she was incredibly kind and encouraging to me as I begin my professional career.
The last day I spent in the desert was special. I was able to play with Ken Forster, Arne Helmersen and my lovely OSU teammate of 4 years, Nicole Schroeder. Ken and his wife, Joan, are huge supporters and allowed me to stay in their Palm Springs home while I competed in Stage I of qualifying school. I met Arne through Ken, and played a couple rounds of golf with him before Q School started, tapping into his course knowledge. The four of us played Mission Hills. (And a special thanks to Mission Hills, for allowing us to play the tournament course!) It felt great to be back and enjoying the sunshine and company of friends.
I am so thankful to have people in my life that bring connections and experiences that I’ll remember forever. Playing these courses and spending time in the desert was a fun adventure and I am back to San Diego and get ready for my first tournament coming up in a month.
In other news, I am officially a member of the Epson Tour now (dues paid!). My rookie orientation is scheduled in a couple of weeks and I hope to know more about my schedule following that. Happy New Year!
