ANNIE
YOUNG, LPGA & FUTURES TOUR
2007 Blog:
"Hi my name is Annie
Thurman Young. I am currently in my second full season as a professional
golfer. I have exempt status on the Duramed Futures
Tour, which is the developmental Tour for the LPGA. Prior to the tour, I played
college golf for Oklahoma State University where I earned my degree in
Marketing. I am a former student of Lone Peak High School along with being an
alumnus of the UJGA.
I played my rookie season on both the LPGA
Tour and Futures Tour in 2006 where I gained a lot of experience and learned
the ins and outs as a professional golfer. I didn’t really believe people when
they said what a big step it is going from college to the pros, but it
definitely is. Though it is not easy a lot of the time, it is a job I would
like to have for many years.
I am very fortunate as my husband Caleb is
able to do his school work on the road, which allows him to caddy for me
throughout the season. We are excited for this opportunity to share our
experiences with ya’ll throughout the year. As we drive from city to city this
year, I will be sure to keep all of you informed, so you can get a little
glimpse of how life is on tour!”
February 9,
2007:
“The season has finally gotten
underway. We are down in warm Arizona where I am playing in three Cactus Tour
events to get the year started. The Cactus Tour is a mini-tour that is based in
Arizona. It’s actually very convenient for me as my sister Megan lives down
here with her husband, so we are able to save on expenses being able to stay
with her.
I would have to say managing your expenses is
one of the biggest factors while being out on tour, especially in the early
years. Everyone one thinks that you have all the luxuries because you are a pro
golfer, when in reality I stayed in much better hotels in college then I do
now. I didn’t realize how good we really had it when we were in college. We
have learned to make Super 8 our home away from home!
As for the first tournament, I’m very proud
of how it turned out. The first day was a struggle to say the least as I found
myself missing putts inside of three feet. I guess I was still getting the
“frost” or rust off. I ended up shooting a 76, which put me eight shots off the
lead. Not quite the start I was looking for!
I decided to return to my trusty two-ball
putter for day two, wise choice. I ended up having six less putts on the day
and six less shots as I fired a two-under par 70. I ended up gaining two shots
on the leader, but still found myself six shots off the lead heading into the
final round.
I knew it was going to take a low round to
even have a chance. Fortunately the putter got hot once again and I was able to
shoot my lowest score as a professional golfer- 66!! It got me into a playoff
where I tapped in for par on the third playoff hole to win.
It is a great feeling to finally be in the
winners circle again. It makes all the hard work worth it. It’s a feeling I
wouldn’t mind enjoying a little more often, as it has been two years since I
last won....”
March 3, 2007:
Hello again. It’s been awhile since I last
checked in. We are currently at our home away from home- Super 8. We are in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana on our way to Lakeland, Florida. We drove ten hours
today and after ten more tomorrow we should be to our destination, glorious
Lakeland!
Things have been pretty busy as we have been
preparing for the upcoming tournaments. We finished the Cactus Tour in Arizona
where I won two out of three events. But the best part of being in Arizona is
that my sister Megan had her baby while we were there! After 22 hours of labor
and a broken tailbone she brought the cutie into the world. It was pretty
exciting.
Shortly after the birth we hopped in the car
and began our adventure back to Oklahoma, where we currently are calling home.
I was able to get some good work done with my swing coach Scott Davies while we
were there. Hopefully everything will come together as the tournament
approaches. I’m confident I’m headed in the right direction though.
March 31, 2007:
Well hello again!! It has been awhile since I
last checked in so I thought I’d write a few thoughts down before I flip on the
Final Four. Life is going great. We just got back to Stillwater only to find
buckets and buckets of rain. Fortunately Karsten
Creek has an indoor facility that I can practice out of, which makes the bad
weather not much of an issue.
We have a week until we leave for our next
Futures Tour event in Frisco, Texas which is only about four hours away from
here, short drive for us. Caleb works at the golf course when we are here and
I’m out practicing. It’s nice to have someone who is willing to work so that we
are able to travel.
The events in Florida didn’t go quite as well
as I had hoped, but there definitely were signs of improvement throughout the
week. I believe it’s just a matter of time before everything clicks and we find
ourselves at the top of the leader board. One thing you will hear me say
throughout the year is that you have to stay positive and patient. You are in a
lot of trouble without the two. Of course it is easier said than done!
I will continue to work on my weakness this
next week and get prepared for the next event. I can’t wait!
April 23, 2007
As I sit and watch the Jazz struggle against
the Rockets, I decided it’s finally time to update ya’ll on life with the
Young’s. We are currently in McAllen, Texas. It’s not the prettiest town I’ve
ever been to but the people are great as we are staying with some friends that
we met down here last season. I already can tell the bed is a lot softer than
the Super 8!
We got our dose of Cajun food this past week
as we were in Lafayette, Louisiana. It’s definitely not something my stomach
would be able to handle on a consistent basis, but its fun to have once a year.
As for the golf, well it started off slow as
I shot a 76 in the opening round only to see myself outside of the cut line.
It’s never a good feeling knowing there is a chance you won’t be playing the
last day. Fortunately I pulled it together in the second round shooting a 69
and making the cut by 3. I continued my solid play in the final round with a 68
which in the end moved me up in a tie for 19th.
The highlight of the whole week came on
number 18 of the final day when I holed out with a 5 iron to finish off the
tournament! The game is a little easier when you don’t have to putt. We’ll see
if we can do that a little more often.
July 2nd:
Well I figure it is about time for me to give
a little update on life with the Young’s. We have been quite busy for the past
few weeks as we have played quite a few tournaments in a row without a break.
It is always good to have the opportunity to play in a lot of tournaments, but
it is also nice to be able to be home with family for the 4th of
July. We just returned from North Carolina
where I played in the Women’s U.S. Open. It was both good and bad. I felt like
I was playing really well headed into the Open as I had shot a 67 in the final
round in my last Futures Tour event. I was very excited to get out there and
see how I would fair against the best players in the world, but it didn’t quite
turn out as well as I had liked. I struggled on my first nine and it was very
difficult to get the strokes back in the end. With the course being so
demanding and difficult it is important to be at the top of your game and I
really wasn’t. It was quite frustrating to catch an early flight out of town
because I had missed the cut. It’s never fun to sit at home to watch the U.S.
Open from the comfort of my own home when I had the opportunity to be playing.
Although it was a frustrating week I still think there are positives I can take
from the event. I plan to continue to work at my game and see if I can get to
the level I feel I have the ability to reach. It is definitely not an easy road
that we are on right now, but with some hard work we are going to get where we
need to be. My advice for the junior golfers is to enjoy the good days and
forget the bad days. We all have them no matter what level of golfer you are. I
would say to hang in there and continue to work hard. It will pay off in the
end. As for me, I’m home for the week here in Utah where Caleb and I are
looking forward to spending some rare time with our family. It’s always good to
be around family for the holidays. After our little break here we will be
headed back east for our big swing where we hope to make a last little run at
the end of the season. Good luck to all
the juniors. Have fun and enjoy the experience!
July 28th:
Hello junior golfers and friends! It is
coming down to the last part of the season. I hope everyone has had a great
season thus far and continued success throughout the remainder of the year.
Life is going well on this end. We currently
are at the end of our week off. We came to Washington, D.C. where my sister
Megan and her family are living. It was nice to be able to see the sights and
learn a little bit more about the history of our nation.
As for the golf, I had my first ever
hole-in-one a couple of tournaments ago in a pro-am. I have had a number of
shots come close but not one has ever dropped until then. It was awesome!!
Things continued to be successful the rest of the week as I finished my lowest
of the season with a 5th place finish.
Things are definitely on the upswing and I’m
hoping to make a run here at the end of the season as we have five events
remaining.
Good luck all the junior golfers and you
finish up the year, work hard and finish strong. You have plenty of time to
rest when the snow falls.
August 24th:
Wow has the summer gone by quickly!!! I guess that is what happens when you are staying busy all the time.
Things are going well though. I just celebrated my 25th birthday, which means I’m officially “old”. There is something about the age of 25 that really makes me feel like I am getting up there in years. My Mom has been quick to inform me that she had all her children by the age of 25, so I’m doing alright. I guess I’m not that old- yet.
We have two more events left in the Futures Tour season. We
are in
As for the season, it definitely had some highs and lows to it. Overall I think I have become a better golfer and person because of it. The experiences should really help me down the road.
Good luck to the rest of you finishing up your summer. Enjoy the experience because you will look back and realize time flies by quicker than you want it to!!
September
25th:
I have just finished up my first stage of LPGA qualifying school and I am very pleased with my performance to say the least. Although it was only first stage it is still a very stressful situation as only the top-30 from the site advanced to final stage. I ended up tying for second place, only two shots out of the lead.
Overall it was a very fun week. I was able to have Caleb on the bag and my parents as my gallery. They don’t get to see a lot of golf these days as they are both busy with their careers so it is always fun when they are able to come to a tournament. I guess I kind of took this for granted growing up and if there was one piece of advice I could give to the juniors it would be to enjoy the time you have to spend with your parents. They may seem annoying at times, but they are your number one fans and will always be there for you in both the good times and the bad. The game of golf is difficult to go at alone and it is important that you always keep a good support system around you.
I have two
months to go until final stage Q-School. I will be playing in a few mini-tour
events both in
Good luck to everyone in High School golf. Enjoy the team competition and the time you have to spend with all your friends on the golf course. It’s a time in your life that you’ll never forget.