Gamecock experience prepared Schmelzel for pro tour
Witnessing history from a ringside seat provided the inspiration, and Sarah Schmelzel has never wavered from the path she charted for herself that day 18 years ago.
“I want to be a professional golfer,” the 7-year-old Sarah decided on March 16, 2001, the day she watched Annika Sorenstam become the first women’s golfer to shoot 59 in competition.
“Successful” became an understood part of the equation, and she is inching closer and closer to put a “happily ever after” ending to that childhood dream.
Schmelzel sparkled in the junior ranks, became an integral part of the University of South Carolina’s women’s golf powerhouse and is spending this year in the top echelon of the women’s game.
Her whirlwind 2019 season started in Australia, made a stop in her native Arizona, then moved to California, Hawaii and Virginia. This week, she’s back in the Palmetto State, competing in top tournament in her game — the U.S. Women’s Open.
To borrow from Dickens: Her season has ranged from the best of times to the worst of times. More good than bad, and she said, “Every day is a learning experience.”
This week at the Country Club of Charleston, she saw the truth in that learning-experience idea. She opened her first professional major with an even-par 71. Good enough. Her second-round turned out to be a struggle, and she missed the cut after a 4-over-par 75.
“To see Sarah grow into the player she is has been great,” said Kalen Anderson, the USC women’s coach who convinced Schmelzel to come east from her Phoenix home to play for the Gamecocks. “She has so much energy on and off the course. She’s so motivated and a great teammate.”
“It’s hard to say ‘no’ to Kalen Anderson,” Schmelzel said of her decision college decision and laughed. “I had a great experience and (playing at USC) prepared me for what’s ahead.”
She began playing competitively “about (age) 8 or 9, and I always wanted to do better,” she said. “In the seventh or eighth grade, I made golf ‘my sport’ and really worked on it. At Carolina working with Kalen and Puggy (recently retired associate coach Puggy Blackmon) really improved my game.”
Schmelzel played for the Gamecocks 2013-16, earning honorable mention All-America honors and etching her name prominently in the school record book. Her pro career took off in 2018 with seven top-10 finishes on the Symetra Tour and a third-place finish in the LPGA Qualifying Series at Pinehurst.
“My putting is so much better now,” she said, an observation endorsed by Anderson.
“She needed that to take the next step,” her college coach said.
Coming into the Open, Schmelzel had made the cut in seven of her nine starts with a tie for 18th and a tie for 26th her top finishes. She ranked 77th in earnings and 76th in the player of the year standings.
“It’s a start (into playing the LPGA Tour), and college golf helped prepare me for this,” she said. “You’ve always got to work to keep moving up.”
With every tournament, her confidence grows, even on days like Friday when the game is a struggle. Perhaps that a by-product of seeing Sorenstam at her best.
How SC golfers fared at Open
Austin Ernst, Seneca: 71-73—144. Bogeyed three of her final six holes to drop out of the top 20, but she made the cut with a stroke to spare.
Sarah Schmelzel, Former USC player: 71-75—146. Roller-coaster round with seven bogeys and three birdies. Birdied two of last three holes but missed the cut by one stroke.
Nanna Madsen, Former USC player: 73-71—144. Shot a steady even-par 71 in the second round with two birdies and two bogeys. Made birdie on No. 16 to assure making the cut.
Mi Hyang Lee, Blythewood resident: 71-73—144. Made four bogeys in a six hole stretch to fall below the cutline, then rallied with two birdies, including one on her final hole.
Heather Young, Clemson assistant golf coach: 78-79—157. Missed the cut after an 8-over-par second round. Made six bogeys and a double-bogey along with one birdie.