Tina Miller's Recap of the Ryder Florida Women's Collegiate Championship
April 5, 2005
Coral Gables, Fla. (www. hurricanesports.com) – – I went into this past week with an open mind. I had been sick the week before the tournament and I knew I was going to be a little rusty in some areas of my game. Last week was also Spring Initiations into the elite Iron Arrow Honor Society, so I decided to skip the practice round to walk around with my fellow Iron Arrow members and “tap” people into the society. To me, being a student-athlete here at UM involves more than just hitting a golf ball and going to class. And with this being my senior year, the Iron Arrow Initiations were taking precedence over my golf for the day.
I arrived at Don Shula’s in Miami Lakes late Thursday afternoon. I practiced putting, hit balls and played holes 1 and 2. We had the banquet that evening, in which all the seniors are recognized. I could not help but feel sad that this would be my last State Championship and the last time I would dine with my team at Shula’s.
The next morning our team was the last to tee off. We posted a score of 294, which was exciting because anytime a team breaks 300 you know they played awesome. I myself shot a 70. I was definitely happy with my round, even though I bogied my very last hole.
The following day we were paired with South Florida and Florida State. Playing in Florida you see these teams often and it was an enjoyable round with the both of them. I started out my day with a double on the first hole, followed by a bogey on the second. I felt somewhat uptight. Sometimes when you are in the lead of an event you press a little too much.
Wind and rain came through midway through the round and it was horrible. The rain was so bad everything and everyone was drenched. The weather was so bad it caused a 30 minute delay. Most people headed back to the club house, but my group opted to stay out at the shelter at the seventh hole. I used the hand dryer to attempt to dry myself off as best I could. A cold front then came through and the dampness of my clothes made it freezing. Through the bad conditions, I hung in there and ended up with a 75. The team shot a total of 307. We were not happy with our play on Saturday, but even on our worst day we were still in the lead by 4.
The final day was one in which we were all tested. USF and FSU were both playing pretty well and we knew we had keep on driving hard until the very end. Many of us began to doubt our games. Through it all none of us gave up and that is a true sign of a champion. After making the turn at 4 over, I thought I had lost the event. After making bogey on number 12, a short par 5, I realized that I couldn’t become negative because the team had a championship to win. One thing I’ve learned is that every shot counts because so many times I’ve seen teams lose titles by just one shot.
I made a real good up and down on number 17 and Josie, who was ill all three days of the tournament, fought real hard just to walk down the fairway. Her round of 76 was amazing considering her condition. She definitely pulled one for the team because we won by one shot. Had she withdrawn from the event we would have lost to both FSU and USF. We shot 912 as a team. Both USF and FSU tied with 913, just one shot behind us.
I myself won the tournament by one shot over my teammate Josie. I did not play well over the last few holes but a win is a win. After I received my trophy, my team threw me in the lake, which is a tradition that Camilla Hilland started when she won the event her sophomore year. The lake was so disgusting, but looking back on it, I would definitely do it again. It was so refreshing to win the tournament both as an individual and as a team. Miami had not won the state championship since 1993. I only hope that my teammates continue to have the same great experiences of being a UM golfer that I have had. The experience of being a student athlete here at UM is one that I will cherish for a lifetime. Every experience, whether it was good or bad, has made me stronger. They have made me the person that I am today.
With three wins under our belt this spring, we are definitely confident going into the ACC Championships next week. Our goals have changed somewhat since the fall and we are out to achieve them. Like Vince Lombardi once said, “winning is a habit” and this is certainly a habit we are getting used to. We are aware that we still need to train and practice hard. If we continue to play the way we have this spring, who knows, maybe we can prove the critics wrong and win the ACC women’s golf championship. I guess we will have to wait until next week to find out!
