By BETH ANN BALDRYSenior WriterVicky Hurst will continue the trend of AJGA players of the year skipping college to turn professional.
“I
feel like I’m ready, and college isn’t going to help my game,” said
Hurst, who lives in Melbourne, Fla., and will graduate from Holy
Trinity Episcopal Academy in May.
Liz Janangelo (2001) was the
last female AJGA Player of the Year to stay in school. Since then,
Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Julieta Granada, Morgan Pressel and Esther
Choe have turned pro out of high school. Three of the five have won on
the LPGA.
For the past several months, Hurst, No. 4 in the
Golfweek/Titleist
Junior Rankings, has kept college coaches on their toes as she pondered
her options for 2008. After the Kangol-wearing hotshot won Duramed
Futures Tour Q-School Nov. 9, few believed Hurst would stay an amateur
much longer. She then beat Kimberly Kim in the AJGA’s prestigious Polo
Golf Junior Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday, and the choice
seemed clear.
Hurst posted four victories and finished either
first or second in six of her seven starts. She plans to start her pro
career on the Futures Tour in the spring and will have her mother,
Koko, with her on the road.
“Hopefully I won’t have to come
here next year,” Hurst said as she watched the final group at LPGA
Qualifying School in Daytona Beach, Fla. Hurst wasn’t eligible to
compete as a 17-year-old without petitioning the tour. A top-5 finish
on the Futures money list next season would earn her LPGA card for 2009.
• • •
Beth Ann Baldry is a
Golfweek senior writer. To reach her e-mail
bbaldry@golfweek.com.
Posted: 12/4/2007
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