April 10, 2007

By Nick Esares

While most collegiate golfers are wrapping up their respective careers as they are about to graduate, University of South Carolina senior Jenna Pearson is just getting started. Pearson has already qualified for the Duramed FUTURES Tour, a developmental tour for the LPGA, and considers her future in professional golf a major factor in her desire to excel on the course every day.

“It’s a little different for me because I know I’m going to play golf as my career,” Pearson said. “It drives me because I realize it’s going to be something that I’m going to try and do for the rest of my life.”

The senior has already logged two top-five finishes this season, and provided one of the highlights of the year when she knocked in a hole-in-one on the 143-yard eighth hole at the University of Georgia Golf Course during the first round of the 2007 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.

“It was really exciting and it’s really a fun thing,” Pearson said about her hole-in-one. “There are a lot of variables that come into play with a golf shot, so there has to be a lot of things going your way.”

The accomplishments come as no surprise for Pearson, who qualified for The NCAA Championships during her sophomore year, and had a top-10 finish at the SEC Championships during her junior campaign. Pearson hopes to continue her success through the end of the season, and has set some high goals.

“Well obviously the major goal would be to win nationals,” Pearson said. “But if not, then to finish in the top five of nationals and to hopefully go there as a team.”

Much of Pearson’s success stems from a desire to improve every time she steps on the course. Pearson is described by those who know her as a golf junky, and one of the most dedicated golfers on the team.

“I think that I try to learn something every time I play,” Pearson said. “Whether I play good or bad. I’m always trying to improve from my mistakes. I’ve really tried to use my college years as a learning experience.”

For Pearson, the desire to excel extends to other aspects of her life, where in addition to being Carolina’s best golfer, she has contributed to the team winning the NGCA All-Scholar Team of the Year award in 2005 and 2006, which honors the school with the highest G.P.A in the nation.

“I think being a student athlete is probably one of the hardest things that I have done in my life.” Pearson said. “You want to perform your best academically and athletically because you are putting your effort towards both. It’s really hard but also really rewarding.”

Pearson hopes to use her experience after she graduates, as playing at the professional level has already begun to take shape for the senior. In November, Pearson tied for 25th at the Duramed FUTURES Tour qualifying tournament with a 75-70-75-74 = 294 overall score. The tournament featured over 250 players from around the country with only 45 earning exempt status on the tour.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, I’m still playing college golf, I think it will once I graduate,” Pearson said. “It’s definitely what I’ve always wanted to do and I think its going to be really fun, but I also think its going to be a lot of work. If you really want to move up and be successful you obviously have to keep working hard.”