GALLOWAY, N.J. – Brynn Walker is absolutely thrilled to have qualified for the ShopRite LPGA Classic, her first career event on the women’s tour. But she knows that she needs to find a way to temper that excitement and stay focused when she tees off on Friday. Walker, who celebrated her 18th birthday on Wednesday and graduates from Radnor High School next Wednesday, has been seeking to find that balance since she shot a 2-under-par 69 to grab one of two available spots in the field for the event at Stockton Seaview Resort’s Bay Course.
It hasn’t been easy, but you can’t blame her for being so enthusiastic at being here.
“I’m just trying to walk around and soak this in and realize how cool it is to be here,” Walker, winner of the last two PIAA Class 3A girls’ individual championships, said Thursday. “But at the same time, you’re here to play golf.
“So a few times I’ve had to hold back on the tee just realizing how cool it is to be here. Then it’s cool to be on the range because you see some of the people you’ve grown up watching and idolizing. So it’s finding the balance that’s been interesting this week.”
Walker, who will enroll later this summer at North Carolina, has put the work in this week, spending a lot of time on the driving range and the putting green while stealing some early-morning practice rounds before the start of the tournament’s Pro-Am. She wonders if she’s done a bit too much.
“I think I could have done a little bit better getting rest because I just want to soak it all in as much as I can,” she said. “I was out there for like 12 hours, out there practicing [Wednesday], and you can’t wipe yourself out like that. I’m a little tired today, but I think a little rest will be good. I feel good with my swing and everything, and I don’t want laziness or tiredness to really hit me like that.”
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