Former Gamecocks Excited About Upcoming LPGA Tour

South Carolina will be well-represented on the highest level of women’s golf this year as four former Gamecocks recently earned LPGA status for the 2019 season. Whether you’re a Tour veteran like Katie Burnett (2008-2012), or if you are a young pro qualifying for the first time like Sarah Schmelzel (2012-2016), it’s a dream come true every time.

“As a six-year veteran on the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, it is never fun to have to go back to Q-School,” Burnett said. “Inside I felt happy, relieved, and accomplished that I was able to qualify again after a bad season. To be able to turn things around and finish with a good result at Q- School was nice.”

“It was kind of a blur,” Schmelzel said. “It didn’t really sink in when the last shot when in or anything like that. We’re all in competition mode, so it doesn’t sink in right away. Later that night, I was talking to my parents, and the adrenaline started to wear off. Then it was a real feeling of accomplishment. I thought about all the people who helped me along the way and we finally made it.

“Just competing at the highest level against the best in the world is what I’m looking forward to the most. That’s the dream; to be able to play on the biggest stage.”

Schmelzel, Burnett, Kristy McPherson (1999-2003) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen (2014) became eligible for LPGA events in 2019 by finishing in the top 45 of the LPGA Q-Series in Pinehurst, North Carolina. With that many Gamecocks playing well at such a high level, and former Gamecock Katelyn Dambaugh (2013-2017) making the tour last year, there is a great sense of pride in the program.

“It’s awesome, and it’s nice to have our own little support group,” Schmelzel said. “I was on the Symetra Tour with Kristy this past year, and every time we see each other, she would call me ‘Gamecock.’ It’s a nice little family with all of us. It will be nice to have all of us on the same stage and be able to represent Carolina.”

“I think it is awesome. I think it shows that the quality of golf at South Carolina just keeps getting better and better,” Burnett said.

“You have to really pay attention to your body and your mind.”
– Katie Burnett

There is plenty of pressure in playing professional golf, but there is also the excitement of playing some of the top courses all over the world.

“My favorite event is the British Open because you never know what you are going to get when it comes to the weather,” Burnett said. “Sometimes you can get all four seasons in one round! I always look forward to the KIA Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., Kingsmill in Virginia, the Meijer Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., and the Cambia Classic in Portland, Ore. They are my favorite courses on tour.”

“I can’t wait to play in my own back yard at the course out at Wildfire (Phoenix, Ariz.), which is 15 minutes from where my parents live and where I grew up,” Schmelzel said. “It will be really fun to have my family and friends there, cheering along.”

Getting to the highest level is hard and staying there isn’t easy.

“In my opinion, when I first started it was probably harder to make it to the tour with the way Q-School was set up,” Burnett said. “As the years have passed the competition has just gotten stronger and stronger, so if you are just a little off, you are going back to Q- School. So now, they are probably pretty even when it comes to difficulty.

“I qualified in 2012 after graduating from South Carolina, and fortunately I played well enough since then not to have to go back again until this year. I felt more pressure the first time qualifying then I did this time. Now, with the new restructuring of Q-School, there is no conditional status category based on your finish; only full status and the number has gone from 20 spots to 45 and ties for full status. So, it was a little easier this time around.”

Each has an understanding that they must always work to improve their game, but also make sure not to burn themselves out from a grueling travel schedule.

“You have to take advantage of where you are,” Schmelzel said. “You have to go site-seeing if you’re in a cool city or go to a professional baseball or basketball game. I try to hang out with friends as much as I can, go out to dinner, and take your mind off golf sometimes so you don’t get worn out. It’s easy to deteriorate not only physically, but mentally.”

“You have to really pay attention to your body and your mind,” Burnett said. “That means setting up a schedule where you take enough weeks off. Throughout the years of playing on tour I have found that I can play about 4-5 weeks in a row before I need a break. Also, it is important when you have weeks off to do things you like to do unrelated to golf to be able to recharge.”

There are other adjustments the women have had to make in transitioning from outstanding collegiate student-athlete to professional.

“The hardest part is the travel, and not really having a ‘normal’ life,” Burnett said. “You are on the road between 22-30 weeks a year and flying all over the world The LPGA travels to around 14 different countries throughout the year. You don’t get to see your family or significant others very often unless they travel with you on a regular basis, which in most cases isn’t really feasible. The grind of having to compete and compare yourself to the best in the world every single week. Maybe you work just as hard or maybe even harder than the World No. 1, and yet you don’t make money some weeks. I would also say that about 50 percent of the girls don’t have really good sponsorship, so if you don’t play well you aren’t making any money. It is your livelihood. It is like gambling every week, and every week you are betting on yourself. The majority of golfers are going to fail way more than they are going to win.

Katie Burnett

“The best part; when you are playing at the highest level, golf should be your passion, so obviously you do it because you love it, win or lose. The positive of it is that you get to travel all over the world to play golf and see places you probably never would have seen otherwise. I have traveled to six of the seven continents because of golf.  Another thing I love about being a professional golfer is that you get to meet all kinds of amazing people and you get to do some awesome things as well. For example, I have been to so many sporting events because of golf like World Cup Cricket, The Masters, NFL games, MLB games, professional hockey games, Aussie Rules Football, Australian professional basketball, rugby etc. Then last, but not least, you get to inspire kids to play golf and continue growing the game!”

“Just getting used to traveling and making your own arrangements is a challenge at first,” Schmelzel said. “Coach (Kalen) Anderson and (Director of Golf) Puggy (Blackmon) took such good care of us with travel, equipment, everything when were in school, so being out on your own is the biggest adjustment. Fortunately, I learned a lot at South Carolina and they prepared me well and prepared me for the next step.”

As they prepare for the upcoming season, each is also armed with fond memories of their time in the Garnet and Black.

“My best memory was when we won the NCAA Regional title in 2010 when we were seeded 11th in the field,” Burnett recalled. “I also won that tournament as an individual, but it was so much more fun that we won as a team. When I finished on the 18th hole my whole team ran onto the green and tackled me yelling, ‘You won, and we won!’ Then in 2012, in my senior year we won the NCAA regional title again. It was cool to do it again, and with some of the same teammates.”

“Just all of us being able to travel together,” Schmelzel said. “The coolest thing was being able to play in four national championships and to be able to compete at that high level. Having a solid group of girls that tried to push each other to be the best they could be was great and was the best part of college golf.”