Sept. 20, 2006

Kristy McPherson finished fourth on the Duramed FUTURES Tour Earnings List in 2006 to earn her LPGA Tour card. The Conway native and former University of South Carolina All-America performer now has the chance to compete on largest stage in women’s golf. In other words, things are going well in Kristy McPherson’s world.

McPherson has steadily improved since joining the FUTURES Tour for the 2003 season, as she finished her rookie campaign ranked fourth on the tour with a 71.50 stroke average. She was 27th on the money list in 2004 before jumping to 14th in 2005 and catapulting to fourth in 2006. She has posted 14 top-10 finishes in her professional career to date, with the highlights being a pair of championships, first at the 2006 Jalapeno FUTURES Golf Classic played in McAllen, Texas and second at the 2006 Betty Puskar FUTURES Golf Classic played in Morgantown, W.V.

“It was a process to get my tour card, but I am very excited for the opportunity and can’t wait to compete,” McPherson said.

McPherson, who will be part of the cast for the popular reality show, The Big Break VI: Trump National, beginning September 26 on The Golf Channel, said the experience of taping the show was one that she won’t forget.

“It was a great time,” McPherson said. “I’m very excited about the show. I actually tried out for The Big Break III, but things didn’t work out. About six or eight of the girls who I am friends with on the FUTURES Tour got on Big Break V and one of them, Becky Lucidi, said I should try out for Big Break VI. I didn’t try out the first week, but the second week I did. I got a semifinalist call back from the show, then made the cut to the final 18, nine men and nine women. Now that I look at it with the show right about to come on, I really would have regretted it if I didn’t try out.”

As for her collegiate career, finding McPherson’s name in the Gamecock record book is like finding movie billboards in Hollywood. You don’t have to look very long or hard. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to argue that McPherson is not the best player to ever come through the South Carolina women’s golf program and her résumé lends the proof.

She was a two-time Southeastern Conference individual champion in 2001 and 2002 and led the Gamecocks to their first-ever SEC team championship when she starred for Carolina in 2002. She earned All-America honors in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and added SEC Golfer of the Year honors in 2003.

Her seven individual tournament championships is not only a school record, but it dwarfs the second-place total of two, held by Siew Ai Lim, who is currently on the LPGA tour. McPherson owns five of Carolina’s six lowest 54-hole tournament scores and blazed through nine rounds with scores in the 60s.

Carolina head coach Kristi Coggins lends some perspective on the matter, as she has led the Gamecocks to eight consecutive trips to the post-season and has guided Carolina to the postseason in 11 of her 12 years at the helm of the program, coaching McPherson, along with fellow current professional golfers Lim, Clarissa Childs and Adrienne Gautreaux during their careers at Carolina.

“Kristy was such an impact player for our team and has left a great legacy,” Coggins said. “Being from South Carolina and taking the team to the first SEC championship in the history of school is something that will obviously leave a mark as well as her being a back-to-back SEC champion. All of the successes she led the university to both as a team and individually came in record fashion and that speaks to the type of individual that she is.”

As for McPherson’s take on where she ranks among the all-time greats at Carolina?

“There have been so many great players to come through the golf program at South Carolina,” McPherson said. “Clarissa Childs, Marianne Morris, Siew Ai Lim, Adrienne Gautreaux immediately come to mind. I had a successful career there, too. I’m not going to say I’m the best, but I will say that I was very lucky to play at such a great school, and that’s the main reason why I went to Carolina. It’s great to have support from the team even still.”

In speaking to McPherson, it becomes clear that she genuinely enjoyed her time at South Carolina

“It was an awesome four years and I wouldn’t change a thing,” McPherson said. “I had so many great friends on that team and being surrounded by great friends and a great coach in Coach Coggins made the experience so enjoyable. Winning the SEC Championship as a team in 2002 was the biggest highlight for me, but winning the individual titles in 2001 and 2002 were also very nice. It just meant more to win the team championship because we had such great chemistry as a group.”

McPherson said she remains in touch with her former teammates at Carolina. She was part of Kacy Thompson’s wedding earlier this year and is slated to also be in Marci Robinson’s wedding next May.

“Kory Thompson actually came up to West Virginia and caddied for me at the tournament I won up there this year,” McPherson said. “It was great to have her on the bag and she did a great job. She couldn’t make it up there for the first day, and I didn’t play very well. It was very relaxing when she came up and we had a lot of fun and winning the tournament made it that much better.”

The 2003 NCAA Woman of the Year in the state of South Carolina, McPherson was also presented with the 2003 Honda Inspiration Award for overcoming Stills Disease (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). She earned her degree in sport and entertainment management in 2003 and was recognized as an SEC Great at the 2006 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament played in Little Rock, Ark.

“The University of South Carolina was certainly blessed and as a coach, I was certainly blessed to have the opportunity to coach such a fine young lady and exceptional athlete,” Coggins said.