Pierceson Coody is a junior at Texas and is currently the third ranked amateur golfer in the world. Recently, Coody was a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team that defeated Great Britain and Ireland at Seminole. 1. What does it mean to represent your country the Walker Cup? Representing my country in the Walker Cup was incredible, something I’ve dreamed about being able to do since I started my junior career. 2. What does it say about the locker room to overcome an illness, continue to play and fight, and ultimately win the Walker Cup? The health issues we dealt with were pretty severe and the group of guys we had made it a lot easier to get through. We were all checking on each other and had each other’s back. The team had a lot of talent and we just needed to get through the early hard stretch of it so we could play the golf we were capable of. 3. How difficult of a test was Seminole Golf Club? Seminole definitely is one of golfs all time great golf courses. I loved every bit of it and how different the course played with slightly different winds or in the morning vs. afternoon. Bogey definitely won a hole here or there and it was crazy how easily you could get on a string of bogies. All in all, a great test that made us think more than I ever have on the golf course. 4. Was there a specific lesson that you learned from either President Bush or Jack Nicklaus? With Jack and President Bush the thing that I’ll never forget is the swagger they both have and how important that is to be comfortable playing in front of big crowds. 5. Do you have a specific story from either? By the time I arrived at the opening ceremony, President Bush already at the front of all the players, ready to lead us onto the stage. He was looking down the line of American and GB&I players and made eye contact with me. He walked down to shake my hand and introduce himself. Before I could even get my name out, he said, "It's nice to meet you, Pierceson. Bob Rowling and I are proud that you're representing Dallas." I'll never forget that. I was speechless. 5. On Sunday, players from both teams were shown supporting their teammates as matches concluded. How would you describe the bond that forms in a team event? Supporting each other after the rounds is awesome, whether it to be there to celebrate or encourage the guys for the next round. College golf has a lot of team golf, but obviously in the Walker Cup it’s completely reliant on your teammates to get their job done. All in all it was an incredible experience in that team setting. Less than forty-eight hours ago, Coody was named a finalist, along with Walker Cup teammates Jon Pak (Florida State) and Davis Thompson (University of Georgia, for the Ben Hogan Award. The award is given to the nation's top collegiate golfer. Notable names such as, Viktor Hovland (Oklahoma State, 2019), Jon Rahm (Arizona State, 2015 & 2016), and Patrick Cantlay (UCLA, 2012) have won the award in the last ten years.
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Alex Elias Christina Kim is currently ranked 111th in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. Kim has 52 career Top-10s and 3 career victories. 3,101 miles separate Dedham Country and Polo Club (Dedham, MA) and The Olympic Club (San Francisco, CA), yet Kim's win at Dedham, the host site for one of the U.S. Women's Open Qualifier, couldn't have been any more gratifying for the California native. As a result of Kim's win at Dedham, Kim has officially qualified for her 17th U.S. Women's Open. When asked about the win, Kim responded, "I don’t know if there really are enough words to describe what it means for me to have qualified for my 17th USWO. Having grown up within an hour of Olympic Club, to have my national championship in the same region I was born and raised is very humbling and extremely exciting! It is very gratifying to know that all of the hard work I have put into my game, both physically and mentally/emotionally, over the last 14 months since the pandemic really started to take hold of the country, are starting to pay dividends. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I am very excited for what is to come!" Christina Kim's birdie on the Par-3 5th The conditions at Dedham were hardly ideal yet Kim said, "I personally found the addition of the rain, breeze and chilly temps to enhance the beauty of both the golf course and the battle that was the task at hand. I think that playing on the LPGA Tour for so many years has allowed me to understand that when I am dealing with course conditions that are, say, not paradisiacal, EVERYONE in the field has to deal with the same conditions, so the physical part of golf is still the same. The mental part is where the successful players will separate themselves from the rest. Also, you have to dance with the girl that brought you, so you have to stay in the moment and just focus on the task at hand."
Having been on property and following Kim around the course, it was incredible to see how well she carried herself. Kim was continuously talking with her caddie about both the course and life, was the first to compliment her fellow competitors on each and every hole and truly seemed to be enjoying every moment and challenge she was faced with. When asked about her positive attitude, Kim responded, "I have been through some very dark times in my life, and have had to work on and prioritize my mental health since a near suicide attempt a number of years ago, and I have come to find that life is much easier when there is joy, love and hope as opposed to fear, anger or impatience. I think having a mindset with self presence and a sense of awe at all times, as well as my naturally curious nature, has been instrumental to my success, both on the golf course and in life in general." While Kim described it as "instrumental to my success", I would go a step further and describe her attitude as being an incredible ambassador for the game of golf. Kim's positive outlook and love for the game cannot be expressed enough and when I asked her about her role as an ambassador or what her message would be to the next generation of female golfers, Kim said, "I remember when I was a young golfer vying for my first tournament win in a junior event watching a fellow competitor who had a Tour player as a mentor who completely ignored me when I approached said Tour player, and thinking to myself how I would never want to make another person ever feel the way that I did at that moment. I was so lucky to also have players like Meg Mallon, Beth Daniel, Nancy Lopez and Se Ri Pak who took me under their wings as an 18 year old LPGA Tour rookie and taught me to be gracious, especially in defeat, and that a win for anyone is a win for everyone. I have been dedicated to leave any place I come to better than I found it, and that includes the hearts and minds of people I meet. We are all human beings, with no one better or worse than another. No one is perfect, and what you’ve been able to accomplish in your life doesn’t provide you with an immediate pass to not be kind to people." Kim continued, "If I had one message to female golfers, regardless of skill level, is to know your value. Golf is a predominantly white, male sport, but there is no sport in the world that is more able to be inclusive of literally everyone. To know one’s value means that you matter. You have as much of a right to occupy any space (that is legal, obviously) as anyone else. Also, your self worth has NO correlation to the scores you shoot!" |
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