Nine-Year-Old Stars in Epson Tour Pro-Am, Inspired to Turn Pro By Winner
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. -- It’s not every day that a 9-year-old gets to play in an Epson Tour pro-am. Sara Valentine dresses up in her sparkly dress and her favorite shoes and heads to the clubhouse with her dad, Robert, for the pro-am party the night before Thursday’s shotgun.
Despite her shyness, her eyes are alight with excitement, and she soon starts to feel comfortable enough to let the table see her fiery side. When the Mission Inn Resort hosts a panel with some of the Epson Tour players and LPGA Hall of Fame instructor Kay McMahon, Valentine bravely raises her hands and asks how these professional golfers recover from bad shots.
After giving her useful advice, they invite Valentine to join them on stage and proceed to ask her questions. Valentine receives an LPGA hat signed by all the players and tells them she’ll be playing in the pro-am the next day; her shyness had completely dissipated, only to be replaced with her disco dance because she couldn’t contain her excitement.
Daniela Iocabelli, Bailey Tardy and Sarah White did a fantastic job welcoming her into the player fold through the panel, which only pumped her up more for the pro-am round. Having that contact and connection with professional golfers, even for 20 minutes, is more than enough to grow the game for women.
Also on the panel that night was Yana Wilson, a 15-year-old amateur with 118 tournament wins under her belt. She was a sponsor invite to the Epson Tour event, personally recommended by Annika Sorenstam.
“I feel like Annika is starting to be one of my mentors now,” Wilson said. “Right before I played the final round of the Annika Invitational, she gave me some good advice for coming back and I ended up winning in a playoff. She said to be consistent, make pars and stay even-keeled.”
Last week, Wilson was soaking in the experience of playing in a professional golf tournament (and making the cut), chatting with the players and giving some advice of her own. While she’s maintaining her amateur status now, going pro is in her future.
“This is such a good experience, and to be here with the pros that are the LPGA’s future stars and current stars is just amazing," Wilson said before teeing off. "I’m looking forward to just playing the course to the best of my ability and I would really like to test my game with these other pros out here. It’s a good learning experience and a good test.”
Before the tournament began, however, these players participated in the pro-am. Valentine and Reagan Chastain, both First Tee participants, joined my group, led by Epson and LPGA Tour professional Gina Kim, a recent Duke graduate.
As we all met in the morning to warm up, there was excitement in the air. Chastain is a rising senior and hoping to play college golf while en route to becoming a doctor. She’s been doubling up on college credits throughout high school and could technically enter college as a sophomore; however, she set herself up to play four years of golf manageably while still going pre-med, all while officially earning her coaching certification with the First Tee last week.
“Gina provided me with lots of insight into her game and life during the pro-am," Chastain said. "She emphasized the importance of having fun with golf, having other hobbies and earning your college degree. She encouraged me to keep working hard as I pursue collegiate golf and continue my academic journey.”
As the horn blew and we found ourselves starting on the 10th tee, we were in game mode. We started with a few birdies and we just kept going. Kim and I were basically just practicing because Chastain and Valentine were tearing up the course. Between Chastain’s long drives and Valentine’s long putts, our team was unstoppable. It was so fun to watch these girls show off, even with the pressure of performing in front of the pros.
In fact, after lipping out a putt, Kim hoped that some of the “birdie magic” would rub off on her last week during the tournament because watching Valentine sink putts left and right, including a 30-foot putt for birdie on hole 16, was impressive, especially on these fast greens.
Chastain was also sinking her share of birdie putts, though her biggest moment came on our last hole. Our drive got us about 80 yards out from the pin and she was the first to hit. She knocked it in for eagle like it was nothing, putting us at 12-under and winning us third place overall.
“Who would have expected the youngest group with a 9-year-old and 17-year-old – and all girls at that – to place top 3?” Chastain said.
Being surrounded by men’s groups is typical for these events, just as it is the norm on the golf course every day. However, this day proved when you connect female golfers, there’s no limit to what they can achieve both on and off the golf course. All they need is the opportunity to see their role models in action.
This pro-am experience also showed that inspiration can go both ways. Kim had an early tee time for the first round of the Epson tournament, but it was clear the “birdie magic” she wished for indeed came her way. She shot a 7-under 66 on the par-73 El Campeón course to take the lead and came out on top again on Sunday with her first professional win.
“I think the biggest hurdle that I’ve been trying to get over is not trying to be too hard on myself and not trying so hard. Just watching Sara (Valentine) make all these putts, she had all this confidence. It was a good reminder, you know, that sometimes less thinking and more doing is really the best route here.”
The Epson Tour players and Wilson inspired Valentine and Chastain, though the First Tee girls inspired them all as well and reminded them of their initial love for the game. By connecting players at every stage of the game, we can elevate women’s golf together.
On our 9th hole during the pro-am, I asked Valentine what she wanted to be when she grows up, and she said, “A professional golfer.” And when I asked when she made that decision, she answered, “Now.”