Article Courtesy of Duramed FUTURES Tour
She's quiet and introverted, but make no mistake about second-year pro CINDY LACROSSE. There's some fire in her belly.
And because of that fire, the player from Tampa, Fla., has prodded herself, scolded herself and catapulted herself into the No. 1 position on the Duramed FUTURES Tour's 2010 money list. Entering this week's final event in Albany, N.Y., LaCrosse says she's not taking her foot off the accelerator, but she's also not feeling the same pressure she felt last year this time.
"My first goal this season was to finish in the top five on the money list, but it would be a great honor to finish up in the No. 1 spot," said LaCrosse, 23, a two-time winner this year with 10 top-10 finishes in 14 events and earnings of $77,778. "What I'm really pleased about is that I don't feel much pressure and I'm not on the bubble to get a full LPGA card for next year. I can enjoy this last week and see what unfolds."
What unfolded for the former All-American from the University of Louisville was a season of planned execution. LaCrosse joined the Tour in the spring of 2009, following the NCAA Championship, and recorded five top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments as a rookie last season. The slightly built young pro wasn't the Tour's longest hitter, but she held her own with a scoring average of 71.13, and headed into the LPGA's Q-School last fall with more than half a professional season of experience.
"Coming out of college golf, you don't know what to expect, but I did pretty well in my first year and I played well enough that I knew I could eventually win," said LaCrosse, the 2009 Big East Player of the Year and a four-time collegiate winner. "I went to LPGA Q-School and I wanted to be on the LPGA, but I also knew I wasn't completely ready. I wanted to get in a full year out here and finish in the top five. I wanted the experience of playing in the lead group and having the pressure to win before I went to the LPGA."
LaCrosse went home to Tampa after LPGA Q-School and hit the gym. She lifted weights, took a boxing class, worked out in cardio, and then fine-tuned the elements of her game with Orlando-based swing coach Sean Foley. When the quiet Floridian showed up for the start of the season this year, she had definition in her arms, purpose in her step and a new focus that immediately transferred into her level of play.
She finished third in the season-opening event in Winter Haven, Fla., and then rallied from three shots back at the second tournament to earn her first Tour title in Mexico. LaCrosse pocketed the Tour's top winner's check of $21,000 at that event and never looked back.
"I stayed patient during the whole tournament and it was so satisfying to win early in the season," she said. "I felt stronger, and I said, ‘Let's see if we can do it again.'"
LaCrosse tied for fifth at the next tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., and tied as the runner-up a few weeks later in San Antonio, Texas. But as she was gaining confidence and showing greater consistency in her ball striking, putting and temperament, LaCrosse also was getting more comfortable and proficient at shooting low numbers.
In 14 tournaments, she has scored a season-low round of 66 five times and scored in the 60s 19 times in 40 rounds, currently holding the Tour's second lowest scoring average of 69.53. In addition, LaCrosse leads the Tour in sub-par holes (164 in 40 rounds) and is also the Tour's birdie leader (162).
"She has been very dedicated and she has followed the process of learning and gaining experience," said her father, Doug LaCrosse, a former golf professional who got his daughter started in the game around age 5 by buying her Cokes and hotdogs and letting her sit in the golf cart while he practiced. "The process is, you have to put in the time."
But while her swing and short game have consistently improved over the years, one of the things that sometimes hampered the young pro was her temper. A self-admitted "perfectionist," LaCrosse would find that her temper flared when things happened on the golf course that were completely out of her control. A good shot that bounded 30 yards in the wrong direction off a sprinkler head would sometimes cause LaCrosse to unravel and lose focus.
"It worked on her sometimes," said her father, Doug. "A seasoned player accepts bad things that happen on the course. It was important that she learn to put things behind her, but on the other hand, you also have to have a little fire."
But the player's fire needed to be tended carefully.
"I grew up with a pretty bad temper and I still wish that it was something I didn't have," she said. "I expect too much. But it's getting better and I've learned that it all evens out in the end."
The truth of that statement was evident when the Tour returned for its annual event in Syracuse this year. In 2009, LaCrosse missed the 36-hole tournament cut in Syracuse and was upset with herself. This year was an entirely different experience.
"Last year, she told her housing host in Syracuse that she was going to come back to Syracuse this year," said her father, Doug. "And she told the housing host that she was going to be good."
LaCrosse also called her father and asked if he could come to Syracuse. Doug LaCrosse made the trip to upstate New York and caddied for his daughter. And he was on the bag when she won her second tournament, carding rounds of 67-66-68 to win at 12-under 201.
"I encouraged her to get things in order, but she did it all," said her dad. "She played great, and after that tournament in Syracuse, she said, ‘It's good to be back on top.'"
While LaCrosse and CHRISTINE SONG have largely dominated the top spot on the Tour's money list all season, it has not been a nerve-racking experience that many other players feel. Doug LaCrosse noted that the effort of climbing the rankings has been more motivating than detrimental for his daughter.
"The money list has motivated her, but her goal all along was to get her full LPGA card," said the player's dad. "If you do that, it shows you worked your rear end off, not just for one week at Q-School, but for an entire season. There are a lot of good players on that tour and it has been a very good training ground for Cindy."
And while LaCrosse earned low status on the 2010 LPGA Tour last fall at Q-School, she has opted to spend most of her time and energy this season as a full-time member of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. She has played in some LPGA tournaments in the off-weeks, but mainly, her focus has remained on the tour helping her to move up and to gain professional experience.
"There are still some things I want to work on in the off-season, but I feel like I'm ready for the LPGA," she said. "I'm excited about what I've done this year. Good golf always helps."
And only three rounds away from holding up a replica LPGA Tour card in Sunday's awards ceremony, LaCrosse is also excited to earn her full 2011 LPGA membership without setting foot on the grounds of LPGA Q-School. This week in Albany, some of her high school friends from Florida are planning to come to New York to cheer on their friend as she plays her final developmental tour event.
"They know how big a deal it is," she said. "A lot of hard work is paying off."
And on the next level, that fire in her youthfully flat belly will likely burn even hotter.
She's quiet and introverted, but make no mistake about second-year pro CINDY LACROSSE. There's some fire in her belly.
And because of that fire, the player from Tampa, Fla., has prodded herself, scolded herself and catapulted herself into the No. 1 position on the Duramed FUTURES Tour's 2010 money list. Entering this week's final event in Albany, N.Y., LaCrosse says she's not taking her foot off the accelerator, but she's also not feeling the same pressure she felt last year this time.
"My first goal this season was to finish in the top five on the money list, but it would be a great honor to finish up in the No. 1 spot," said LaCrosse, 23, a two-time winner this year with 10 top-10 finishes in 14 events and earnings of $77,778. "What I'm really pleased about is that I don't feel much pressure and I'm not on the bubble to get a full LPGA card for next year. I can enjoy this last week and see what unfolds."
What unfolded for the former All-American from the University of Louisville was a season of planned execution. LaCrosse joined the Tour in the spring of 2009, following the NCAA Championship, and recorded five top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments as a rookie last season. The slightly built young pro wasn't the Tour's longest hitter, but she held her own with a scoring average of 71.13, and headed into the LPGA's Q-School last fall with more than half a professional season of experience.
"Coming out of college golf, you don't know what to expect, but I did pretty well in my first year and I played well enough that I knew I could eventually win," said LaCrosse, the 2009 Big East Player of the Year and a four-time collegiate winner. "I went to LPGA Q-School and I wanted to be on the LPGA, but I also knew I wasn't completely ready. I wanted to get in a full year out here and finish in the top five. I wanted the experience of playing in the lead group and having the pressure to win before I went to the LPGA."
LaCrosse went home to Tampa after LPGA Q-School and hit the gym. She lifted weights, took a boxing class, worked out in cardio, and then fine-tuned the elements of her game with Orlando-based swing coach Sean Foley. When the quiet Floridian showed up for the start of the season this year, she had definition in her arms, purpose in her step and a new focus that immediately transferred into her level of play.
She finished third in the season-opening event in Winter Haven, Fla., and then rallied from three shots back at the second tournament to earn her first Tour title in Mexico. LaCrosse pocketed the Tour's top winner's check of $21,000 at that event and never looked back.
"I stayed patient during the whole tournament and it was so satisfying to win early in the season," she said. "I felt stronger, and I said, ‘Let's see if we can do it again.'"
LaCrosse tied for fifth at the next tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., and tied as the runner-up a few weeks later in San Antonio, Texas. But as she was gaining confidence and showing greater consistency in her ball striking, putting and temperament, LaCrosse also was getting more comfortable and proficient at shooting low numbers.
In 14 tournaments, she has scored a season-low round of 66 five times and scored in the 60s 19 times in 40 rounds, currently holding the Tour's second lowest scoring average of 69.53. In addition, LaCrosse leads the Tour in sub-par holes (164 in 40 rounds) and is also the Tour's birdie leader (162).
"She has been very dedicated and she has followed the process of learning and gaining experience," said her father, Doug LaCrosse, a former golf professional who got his daughter started in the game around age 5 by buying her Cokes and hotdogs and letting her sit in the golf cart while he practiced. "The process is, you have to put in the time."
But while her swing and short game have consistently improved over the years, one of the things that sometimes hampered the young pro was her temper. A self-admitted "perfectionist," LaCrosse would find that her temper flared when things happened on the golf course that were completely out of her control. A good shot that bounded 30 yards in the wrong direction off a sprinkler head would sometimes cause LaCrosse to unravel and lose focus.
"It worked on her sometimes," said her father, Doug. "A seasoned player accepts bad things that happen on the course. It was important that she learn to put things behind her, but on the other hand, you also have to have a little fire."
But the player's fire needed to be tended carefully.
"I grew up with a pretty bad temper and I still wish that it was something I didn't have," she said. "I expect too much. But it's getting better and I've learned that it all evens out in the end."
The truth of that statement was evident when the Tour returned for its annual event in Syracuse this year. In 2009, LaCrosse missed the 36-hole tournament cut in Syracuse and was upset with herself. This year was an entirely different experience.
"Last year, she told her housing host in Syracuse that she was going to come back to Syracuse this year," said her father, Doug. "And she told the housing host that she was going to be good."
LaCrosse also called her father and asked if he could come to Syracuse. Doug LaCrosse made the trip to upstate New York and caddied for his daughter. And he was on the bag when she won her second tournament, carding rounds of 67-66-68 to win at 12-under 201.
"I encouraged her to get things in order, but she did it all," said her dad. "She played great, and after that tournament in Syracuse, she said, ‘It's good to be back on top.'"
While LaCrosse and CHRISTINE SONG have largely dominated the top spot on the Tour's money list all season, it has not been a nerve-racking experience that many other players feel. Doug LaCrosse noted that the effort of climbing the rankings has been more motivating than detrimental for his daughter.
"The money list has motivated her, but her goal all along was to get her full LPGA card," said the player's dad. "If you do that, it shows you worked your rear end off, not just for one week at Q-School, but for an entire season. There are a lot of good players on that tour and it has been a very good training ground for Cindy."
And while LaCrosse earned low status on the 2010 LPGA Tour last fall at Q-School, she has opted to spend most of her time and energy this season as a full-time member of the Duramed FUTURES Tour. She has played in some LPGA tournaments in the off-weeks, but mainly, her focus has remained on the tour helping her to move up and to gain professional experience.
"There are still some things I want to work on in the off-season, but I feel like I'm ready for the LPGA," she said. "I'm excited about what I've done this year. Good golf always helps."
And only three rounds away from holding up a replica LPGA Tour card in Sunday's awards ceremony, LaCrosse is also excited to earn her full 2011 LPGA membership without setting foot on the grounds of LPGA Q-School. This week in Albany, some of her high school friends from Florida are planning to come to New York to cheer on their friend as she plays her final developmental tour event.
"They know how big a deal it is," she said. "A lot of hard work is paying off."
And on the next level, that fire in her youthfully flat belly will likely burn even hotter.
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