Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., July 12 -- Stanford University freshman Sally Watson won’t follow her fellow Curtis Cup golfers into the LPGA Tour just yet.
No rush. “There’s no rush,” the 18-year-old Scottish Curtis Cup golfer said in an interview Friday. “As long as I’m improving and getting better, I see no need to rush into the professional ranks.”
Unlike Americans Jennifer Song and 15-year-old Alexis Thompson, who will turn pro following this weekend’s clash of the top eight amateur golfers from the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland, Watson plans to stay an amateur for a while longer.
Watson’s college coach would be happy, but not surprised to hear her prize player issue such a common-sense statement.
Stay in school. “I struggle with [young golfers like Thompson] going out so early, because I want to see them go to college,” Stanford golf coach Caroline O’Connor told Golf Examiner. “There are really very few girls who have turned pro who have had success early.”
O’Connor did not question Thompson’s chances of making it on tour -- she cited the outstanding careers of Tiger Woods and Lorena Ochoa as exceptions to the rule -- but issued a caution about the competitive nature of pro golf.
“You don’t have a support network on tour,” O’Connor warned. “They don’t want you there, taking their money, so it can be difficult for a younger person to overcome by herself.”
As for Watson, the GB&I golfer appeared to relish the leadership role that O’Connor believed she handled naturally.
Lots of smiles. “I’m just trying to keep people relaxed and having fun,” Watson said. “Lots of smiles, because the Curtis Cup is one of the greatest experiences you can have as an amateur. When you enjoy it, you play better, so lots of smiles and stay focused; that’s my goal here.”
As the only repeat player on the GB&I Curtis Cup team, Watson knows whereof she speaks. She had much to smile about after she and Leona Maguire came from 2-down to halve their Friday foursome match with Song and Jennifer Johnson.
Stellar junior career. She has also played on two European Junior Solheim Cup teams, in 2007 and 2009. She earned All-Pac-10 second-team honors in her freshman year at Stanford and made the cut at the 2008 Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.
For sure, opponents taking Watson’s competitive spirit lightly because of her cheerful demeanor do so at their own peril, however. The young Scot recently qualified, on her first try, for the U.S. Women’s Open, and has played golf since she was four.
“But I didn’t play competitively until I was 13,” she said.
No basketball. In fact, were it not for a torn ACL, Watson would have chosen basketball as her sport, said her uncle, Rabbie Brewster.
O’Connor, for one, is glad she chose golf as the outlet for her winning attitude.
“She could be one of the best ever,” O’Connor said, matter-of-factly. “She hit golf shots throughout her junior career that most professionals don’t hit.”
And it’s not just Watson’s physical aptitude that O’Connor praised. “With her mental toughness,” she said, “Sally knows what she’s capable of and what she’s not, and does a great job of managing herself around the course.”
Family affair. As for the upcoming U.S. Open, the trip to Pennsylvania’s Oakmont Country Club will be an enjoyable family affair for the woman with a quick smile and even temper.
“My dad’s going to be on the the bag,” Watson said, “so it should be a lot of fun.”
Watson helped her team to an early lead in Friday’s Curtis Cup matches, but it was a different story Saturday morning. Read how the U.S. team swept the early four-ball session to take a two-point lead heading into afternoon foursome contests.
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