I first picked up a golf club before I could talk as a 1 year old, started playing casually at the age of 6, and started competing in tournaments when I was 13. From my first tournament win at 13 I knew what I wanted to do with my life; play golf. That first taste of success pushed me to practice almost daily for the next 12+ years.
My goal is to play on the PGA Tour. However there are many steps I must climb in order to attain it. Some of which I have cleared, and most that still await. I had a very successful junior golf career growing up in Arizona and led my high school team to some top finishes in the state. My success in high school and junior golf lead me to a full scholarship at Scottsdale Community College, the golf-oriented most successful JUCO golf program in America. We won back-to-back Conference Championships the 2 years I was there and after exploring my University offers from Division 1 coaches, I chose to attend the University of Hawaii. I enjoyed 3 years of golf, beach, and the classroom and graduated in May 2008 with a B.A. in Psychology.
This brings us to the present. I am extremely focused and still looking toward my ultimate goal. I am committed to becoming a successful professional golfer. As with any professional athlete, there can be no distractions to become a successful pro golfer. My life is 100 percent dedicated to the game. Over the past couple years I have taken many steps towards making that happen. Currently I am working with my swing coach Bryan Hepler (Hepler Golf @ McCormick Ranch), and am also working with Bobby Kelly at Results Only for my daily workouts and physical fitness. I am constantly reading and meeting with sports psychologists to help me with the mental side of the game. There are a few amazing, pristine courses locally, where I am able to practice and play as much as I like. My final and most important step is to obtain the financial support in order to play in many significant events. Although I have played in a couple events, I still need to play in many more. This is where I am stuck now. I do not have the funds required to develop a significant tournament schedule.
I am extremely serious in my pursuit of a professional golf career and I am fortunate to be here in the “golf mecca” that Arizona is. The Gateway Pro Tour is a very good mini tour located in the Valley, which offers 18 events right here in the Phoenix Metro area. It is a great option for me since I could play locally and do not need additional funds for hotels, flights, etc. In addition to the Gateway Pro Tour, ideally I would love to play various state opens as well as PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour Monday Qualifiers. All of these events would be training towards the ultimate goal, PGA Qualifying School in the fall of 2011.
I truly believe in myself and I am confident that I can make all of this a reality. I would never waste anyone’s time or money if I didn’t know I could achieve great things in this sport. I know the odds, statistics, and I know how tough these goals are to reach. But I have enjoyed success at every level of golf I have competed on thus far, which makes me believe that if I am given the right opportunities and I continue to work hard I can accomplish ANY GOALS I set for myself in golf.