I’m Ellie! I’m an aspiring professional golfer.
Golf has always been a huge part of my life and who I am. I started playing golf at the age of 2, following my brother and dad around the golf course. (That’s my brother in the image above, caddying for me in the Portland Classic.) I played in my first tournament at 8 and continued on to collegiate and amateur careers through the summer of 2022. I am now about to embark on a professional career and I am inviting you along on my journey! I’ll use this blog to document my experiences along the way, from my very last tournament tournament as an amateur to what I hope are many, many successful rounds as a professional. Thanks for your interest and support!
Junior Golf
Eight was the youngest age for Oregon Junior Golf tournaments. Like I said, I was already following my brother around the golf course. My mom said I could keep watching, or I could also play. My pairing was almost always with Jenny Krause, whose older brother and sister both played. We would tee off as the last group on the back nine and giggle our way around the course until Charlotte Plank, the legendary OJGA director, would come out to make sure the big kids didn’t catch up and hit into us. While I was having a great time, I was also learning the rules of golf, etiquette and pace of play. I owe so much to OJGA, the many volunteers who were out on the course to help and the many friends I made along the way.
About age 12, I started playing in national tournaments, including Junior Worlds, the North South Junior, Scott Robertson Memorial, Joanne Winter Silver Belle, the PGA Junior and the USGA Girls’ Amateur. I was also a member of Team Oregon twice for North Pacific Junior Ladies Team Matches and three times for Junior Americas Cup. Golf has taken me all over the country! I feel so fortunate for the experiences golf has given me – and I know there are many more ahead! You can read more about my junior golf experiences in my bio here.
College Golf
I am a life long Beaver! Both my parents are graduates of Oregon State University and my brother also has two degrees from OSU. We often went to campus for football and basketball games and proudly sported the orange and black. I did meet with some other college coaches when I was being recruited, but I was born a Beaver. After five wonderful years there, I hold numerous records and was the first OSU golfer ever, male or female, to be named PAC-12 Golfer of the month.
During my career at OSU, I had three collegiate wins, was named to the PAC-12 All Conference Team three times and qualified for NCAA Nationals as an individual my sophomore year. You can read more about my accomplishments at Oregon State here. Nationals were canceled my junior year because of COVID, as was most of Spring and Fall season in 2020. My senior year, our team made it to Regionals but wasn’t allowed to play when the Rules Committee canceled the tournament without a single golfer ever hitting a shot. After all the disappointments the previous year, that was a very difficult blow for our team. I returned for a fifth year, got a second degree and am now preparing for the next chapter of my life.
The next stage
My first stage of qualifying for the LPGA was in August 2022 and I progressed through it to Stage II, which was scheduled to start in October, but Hurricane Ian ravished the part of Florida where we were supposed to play. Stage II was rescheduled to mid-November while the golf courses worked on repairs and clean up. Many of the employees and volunteers put the work of getting the courses before repairing their own homes! When 250 LPGA hopefuls converged on Venice, Florida, they were ready for us. You can read my Stage II recap here.
I moved to San Diego in August of 2022 so I would be able to play and practice year round, but also because I have been in love with this part of the country since I was about 12. In addition to being a golfer, I love the ocean, adventure and the great outdoors. I also love animals, but have to settle for seeing my family’s dogs when I get home for a visit every now and then, due to the fact that I am constantly on the road during season.
I completed my rookie season on the Epson tour in September of 2023. You can read my reflections on my first year as a professional golfer here. My blog includes a recap from most of my tournaments – just search “tournaments” or scroll through the posts.
If you are interested in supporting me financially in my journey to the LPGA, you can learn more about that here. Thank you for your support and I am glad you have chosen to join me on this adventure.