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Monday's Internet Edition, January 05, 2009.
Golfer from RM wins California State Fair tournament
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Photo by Wendy Smith
Brittany Smith, 21, of Rancho Murieta holds her up her first place trophy after winning the Amateur Women’s Golf Championship at the California State Fair. She beat out two fellow University of California, Davis teammates for the title.
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By Wendy Smith
River Valley Times Staff
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Rancho Murieta resident Brittany Smith won the California State Fair Amateur Women’s Golf Championship with a two-day total of 142 on Aug. 30 and 31, her last tournament before returning recently for her fourth year at University of California, Davis.
The 21-year-old Smith, a Psychology and Communications double major, is a part of the UCD golf team and edged out two of her teammates, Chelsea Stelzmiller and Kim Johnson, to win the tournament.
Shooting a 69 on the first day - her best round in competition - she followed that by a 73 score the next day. She ended the competition two under par.
Three separate 6-foot putts helped Smith clinch the win. While her shots on holes 15 and 16 were impressive, it was her dead-center putt on hole 18 that gave her the one-point wining lead after Stelzmiller two-putted a 10-ft. shot on the same hole.
Though her putting game helped her gain the lead in the tournament, Smith says that she hasn’t necessarily been focusing more on her putting game. “When I practice, I make sure that I’m working on everything: my drives, my putts, my swing,” Smith said. “I want to make sure that I’m a well-rounded player.”
The unassuming Smith first took up golf at the age of 13 and was competing in junior tournaments by the time she was 14. Growing up in Rancho Murieta afforded her the opportunity to be close to several golf courses, making practicing more convenient. During the summer, Smith practices between 35 and 40 hours a week.
Her father, Jim Smith, was a little surprised at that number. But after doing some math in his head, he conceded it was right. “It’s about 6 hours of playing, plus one to two hours of practice before that. It is essentially a full time job. That, of course, changes when she’s back in school,” Smith said, smiling at his daughter.
When at UCD, golf becomes a secondary priority to academics, but that doesn’t mean that Smith isn’t actively playing. Her first week back, she traveled to New Mexico to compete in a tournament with her school team.
For now, Smith is enjoying improving her play and seeing where it takes her. “Sure, I have some aspirations for turning pro. I think anyone that competes would love that,” said Smith. “But we’ll see what happens.”
While Smith sees golf as something that will continue to be a part of her life for many years to come, she is open to where life will take her and is using her time at college to prepare for other careers as well.
Jim Smith is proud of what his daughter has accomplished. “She works very hard,” he said. “It’s great when she has something like this win to show for all of that effort and time.”
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