Nov. 18, 2011
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By KYLE SOLDWISCH
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa women’s golfer Lauren English had an ace in October during her first fall season with the Hawkeyes. Her transition to the college game, however, wasn’t as smooth as it looked.
“I was struggling a little bit at first, said English, a freshman from Bloomington, Ill. “I would talk to my parents every day. Now I think I’ve gotten a little more independent.”
English’s transition to collegiate golf appeared seamless. She placed in the top 15 in her collegiate debut at the Chip-N Club Invitational in September before tying for 26th at the Dick McGuire Invitational on Sept. 25-26. She even tallied the hole-in-one in October at the Lady Northern Invitational.
During the first round of the tournament, English fired the ace on the 184-yard, par three sixth hole with her Callaway RazR eight iron. It was the second hole-in-one of her career; she first did it as a 12-year old.
“I couldn’t really see it because the green was really elevated,” said English. “I was really happy because the round wasn’t going quite how I had wanted it to, so it was definitely very helpful.”
Despite adjusting to the extended course length of the collegiate game, English thrived for the Hawkeyes during the fall season. She posted a 78.25 scoring average over 12 rounds, the lowest per round average by a freshman since Tyrette Metzendorf led the team in the spring of 2006 (77.2).
English tries not to focus on the success she’s had early in her collegiate career; rather she uses is as fuel to perform even better.
“I try not to think about it too much,” she said. “I was No. 1 on my high school team, so I guess I am kind of used to it. It definitely puts a little bit of pressure on me, but I think I perform better with that on my shoulders. It helps me.”
English, the former No. 1 girl’s golf recruit in the state of Illinois, has already pinpointed aspects of her game that she looks to shore up before the spring schedule begins in February.
“We play a lot of different courses,” said English. “I want to learn to adjust to each green and the conditions of the course. We don’t play in the best weather at times, so that’s an aspect too.”
The Hawkeyes will play seven tournaments during the spring portion of their schedule, beginning with the Claud Jacobs Challenge in Victoria, Texas, on Feb. 19-20. The Big Ten Championships will be held on April 27-29 in French Lick, Ind., at the French Lick Golf Resort — the same course where English had her ace.