Well now that I've been home for a little over a week, my sleep is mostly back to normal, and I feel refreshed enough to fill you in on all of our adventures in Scotland. The head coach, Rise', myself, Jackie Booth (my college coach and the NMSU assistant), and the BYU coach all went to Scotland to recruit at the British Junior Amateur Championship. We were there for 8 days and were able to spend some time playing a little golf as well!
The trip over started very abruptly, as on the flight from JFK to Edinburgh, about an hour and a half after take-off, a passenger on the plane passed out in the aisle right in front of where I was standing. It was very dark on the plane as most people were sleeping and I really froze for a second and wasn't sure what to do. I ended up running to the back of the plane to get the flight attendant, and after about 30 minutes, with a doctor's help (he was on the flight), they determined that he was going to be ok and we didn't have to turn around. Wow, what a start to the trip! I didn't sleep the entire 6 1/2 hour flight as my adrenaline was really going!!! I was in charge of the driving...and yes, it's on the other side of the road, with the driver on the other side of the car!! Needless to say, the first few minutes in the car were eventful!!! I figured it out pretty quickly and actually had some fun with it. I only turned into the wrong lane once, and thankfully it was a quiet road. Our little car...and I stress the word LITTLE (you should have seen us trying to get 4 people and all of our luggage/golf clubs in this car!!), was a stick shift...so that made it even more eventful. There were a few times when I shifted into the wrong gear, once from 2nd to 1st instead of 3rd...very funny!!!
I was lucky enough to have met a friend through a friend that was a member at Carnoustie and I got to play there on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately they have had an abundance of rain over there and there were a couple of holes closed due to flooding. It was still a cool experience to be on that course and know what has happened there in the past. Thursday we all played Kingsbarns...a course I would recommend to anyone going over there...and it was fabulous. It is right on the ocean and all of the holes have fabulous views. When we got back to our bed and breakfast Thursday night we got the good news that we had been lucky enough to get on the Old Course at St. Andrews. There were 54 people that didn't get in that day, so you can imagine how many people want to play that course each day. Wow, what a neat experience!!! You can't beat the history of that course and those holes. It felt surreal and I took a lot of pictures!!!
We stayed in 2 different bed and breakfasts, one in Arbroath and the other in St. Andrews. The one in St. Andrews is a very well-known Bed & Breakfast and pub, located about 300 yards from the 1st tee at the old course. It's called the Dunvegan. We ran into Rosie Jones one night. She has started a new business, taking groups of women on golf trips. This was the first time to Scotland, but we happened to run into them. We continued to see them the next couple of days, and they came back to meet us for dinner and drinks on our last night. Small world!!!
I got back really late last Saturday night into Portland and have been recovering from the time difference ever since. I really didn't have a problem going over, adjusting very well. Coming back was a different story. I would be exhausted about 5 or 6 pm and wake up in the morning about 4:00!!! YIKES!
We watched some excellent golfers at the tournament and hopefully got some good names and information for the next couple of years. I really enjoyed watching some of the shots those kids have...no flop shots!!!
I am playing in the Albuquerque Open September 15-16, so I have to get my game ready for that! I enjoyed playing in Scotland and have been able to practice a little since I've been back. I'm excited to be able to compete again. I'm also very excited for the girls to be coming back in a couple of weeks and for the season to start! Our fall schedule includes our home tournament, Washington's tournament, Stanford, and Hawaii...yeah!!!
Hope to talk to you all soon, and if you'd like to see pictures from the trip, you can go to this website. http://www.photoshow.com/watch/HE5rr4cs
GO BEAVERS!!!
~Kailin
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sponsor Remembered
Unfortunately, this post is written in memory of one of my sponsors. Jay Audia, from Bend, passed away this weekend. I want to express my condolences to all of his family and friends and hope they know that they are in a lot of people's thoughts and prayers. Jay was a good friend of my Dad's as well, so it especially hits home.
I am forever grateful to all of my sponsors for their support, both emotionally and financially. I would not have been able to have all of my great experiences last year and throughout this season without each and every one of them. I know that I expressed this gratitude to Jay in the past, but I only wish he knew exactly how much I appreciated his support! Please take a minute of your time to remember him and the great person he was!
THANKS JAY!!!
I am forever grateful to all of my sponsors for their support, both emotionally and financially. I would not have been able to have all of my great experiences last year and throughout this season without each and every one of them. I know that I expressed this gratitude to Jay in the past, but I only wish he knew exactly how much I appreciated his support! Please take a minute of your time to remember him and the great person he was!
THANKS JAY!!!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Texas Open
Ok, so I know I have procrastinated writing this blog again...but at least I'm consistent, right?! I played in the Texas State Open in Garland, TX June 25-26. It was a fun trip, although it was very hot and humid there!!! I shot 76-71 and finished 5th in the professional standings. The tournament was well run and I enjoyed my trip.
I got to stay with the Crawfords, whom I stayed with last year on the Futures Tour when we were in Frisco. I got lectured a little bit that my last blog talked about how I was excited to see JJ (their Bichon Frise) and not to see Jerry and Jan...so, I'm making it known right now that it was great to see ALL the Crawfords!!! :) They are great people and I appreciate them taking Trisha (a friend who played in the tournament) and myself in for the week. We had a great time.
Two questions that I got throughout the whole tournament that I would not be disappointed to never hear again were....
* OS...Oklahoma State right...
I guess I should have known being in that area of the country that Oklahoma was closer than Oregon...but I got to the point where I would correct people before they even got the question out. (Oh and the people that think that we're the Ducks drive me nuts too!!!)
* What year are you at Oregon State?
OH MY GOSH!!!! So, yeah, no, I'm not in school, I graduated over 2 years ago and am actually COACHING for the team. :) This made me laugh...but I can't tell you how many times I got these two questions throughout the week!
I recruited for the first time a couple of weeks ago at the Oregon State Junior tournament which was held at Bandon Dunes. The last time I had been to Bandon Dunes was 6 years ago for the Oregon Women's Amateur. I was fortunate enough to play Pacific Dunes one morning...and actually played 14 holes in very thick fog. It was very interesting, and kind of fun to not be able to see where you were hitting the ball! It is a gorgeous place and for those of you who enjoy golf and haven't been...you should go!
We leave town early tomorrow morning to go to San Diego and Hartford, Connecticut to recruit.
I will write again...please feel free to email me and tell me what you all are up to!!!
:) Kailin
I got to stay with the Crawfords, whom I stayed with last year on the Futures Tour when we were in Frisco. I got lectured a little bit that my last blog talked about how I was excited to see JJ (their Bichon Frise) and not to see Jerry and Jan...so, I'm making it known right now that it was great to see ALL the Crawfords!!! :) They are great people and I appreciate them taking Trisha (a friend who played in the tournament) and myself in for the week. We had a great time.
Two questions that I got throughout the whole tournament that I would not be disappointed to never hear again were....
* OS...Oklahoma State right...
I guess I should have known being in that area of the country that Oklahoma was closer than Oregon...but I got to the point where I would correct people before they even got the question out. (Oh and the people that think that we're the Ducks drive me nuts too!!!)
* What year are you at Oregon State?
OH MY GOSH!!!! So, yeah, no, I'm not in school, I graduated over 2 years ago and am actually COACHING for the team. :) This made me laugh...but I can't tell you how many times I got these two questions throughout the week!
I recruited for the first time a couple of weeks ago at the Oregon State Junior tournament which was held at Bandon Dunes. The last time I had been to Bandon Dunes was 6 years ago for the Oregon Women's Amateur. I was fortunate enough to play Pacific Dunes one morning...and actually played 14 holes in very thick fog. It was very interesting, and kind of fun to not be able to see where you were hitting the ball! It is a gorgeous place and for those of you who enjoy golf and haven't been...you should go!
We leave town early tomorrow morning to go to San Diego and Hartford, Connecticut to recruit.
I will write again...please feel free to email me and tell me what you all are up to!!!
:) Kailin
Monday, June 23, 2008
Update
Ok, so once again I have waited way too long to post another blog! Sorry about that.
Last I wrote to you I was headed to Denver for the Colorado Women's Open. I had one decent round out of the 3 and finished tied for 18th, which actually paid more than finishing 20th on the Futures Tour...funny how that works! You would think that the Futures Tour would be a better investment, but not the case!
I was able to be at home all last week to caddy for Rise (the head coach) in the Oregon Women's Amateur tournament being held at Bend Country Club. I had a good time, although it was really hard to not be able to play. I love that tournament and especially love match play. I wish there were some tournaments for professionals that were match play. It was fun to be at home and spend some time with my family. Now that Rise's getting to know the Downs', I'm thinking she's wondering what she got herself into!!!
I am in the Denver airport right now headed to Dallas, Texas for the Texas State Women's Open. I have not played in this before, but I thought playing in some state opens would be fun! I am excited because I get to stay with the family I stayed with last year in McKinney, Texas. They have JJ, the little bichon...which is what Peaches was! I love those dogs and am excited to get my Bichon fix! There is a pro-am tomorrow, and the tournament is Wednesday and Thursday. I will be sure to post a response in a more timely manner this time. If you want to look online, I'm sure they will have results posted. The website is www.ntpga.com and you can follow the link on the left side of the page to get to the Women's Open.
The next couple of months is going to be pretty busy with traveling for recruiting. I will be at Bandon Dunes next week. Then it's off to San Diego and Hartford, Connecticut. And, I am thrilled to say that I am fortunate enough to get to go to Scotland in August. Rise and I are traveling to Scotland for the British Junior Amateur tournament and I am beyond excited!!! Rough life, I know.
I hope to talk to you all soon...and while I'm thinking about it, I will not have my personal cell phone (505-379-3586) after July 28th. You can reach me at (541) 230-0700 or at work (541) 737-3900.
~Kailin
Last I wrote to you I was headed to Denver for the Colorado Women's Open. I had one decent round out of the 3 and finished tied for 18th, which actually paid more than finishing 20th on the Futures Tour...funny how that works! You would think that the Futures Tour would be a better investment, but not the case!
I was able to be at home all last week to caddy for Rise (the head coach) in the Oregon Women's Amateur tournament being held at Bend Country Club. I had a good time, although it was really hard to not be able to play. I love that tournament and especially love match play. I wish there were some tournaments for professionals that were match play. It was fun to be at home and spend some time with my family. Now that Rise's getting to know the Downs', I'm thinking she's wondering what she got herself into!!!
I am in the Denver airport right now headed to Dallas, Texas for the Texas State Women's Open. I have not played in this before, but I thought playing in some state opens would be fun! I am excited because I get to stay with the family I stayed with last year in McKinney, Texas. They have JJ, the little bichon...which is what Peaches was! I love those dogs and am excited to get my Bichon fix! There is a pro-am tomorrow, and the tournament is Wednesday and Thursday. I will be sure to post a response in a more timely manner this time. If you want to look online, I'm sure they will have results posted. The website is www.ntpga.com and you can follow the link on the left side of the page to get to the Women's Open.
The next couple of months is going to be pretty busy with traveling for recruiting. I will be at Bandon Dunes next week. Then it's off to San Diego and Hartford, Connecticut. And, I am thrilled to say that I am fortunate enough to get to go to Scotland in August. Rise and I are traveling to Scotland for the British Junior Amateur tournament and I am beyond excited!!! Rough life, I know.
I hope to talk to you all soon...and while I'm thinking about it, I will not have my personal cell phone (505-379-3586) after July 28th. You can reach me at (541) 230-0700 or at work (541) 737-3900.
~Kailin
Thursday, May 8, 2008
It's a Great Day to be a Beaver!!
I must first apologize for the title. That is written for one person specifically...you know who you are!
Even though I'm a few days late...I wanted to let everyone know how El Paso turned out. Overall, I was very pleased with my tournament and excited to be back out playing, and play well!! I shot 71 (1 under) the first round and found myself in 9th place. That day was highlighted with an eagle on the 2nd hole (my 11th) from 138 yards. I went right at the pin with a 9 iron and it took one hop, hit the pin and dropped. Unfortunately, I didn't see it and couldn't tell it had fallen in. I thought it bounced over, but the cart caddy told me otherwise. There was a few laughs of unbelief and a little celebration. It has been a while since I've done this and it was fun....who can complain about a 0 putt! In the 2nd round I shot 72 and was thankful to finish with that score after a very eventful last hole. I won't give you the whole story, because I don't want to put the whole image in your heads...but let's just say I got a friendly skip from the pond, and a good bounce from the rock on the other edge of the water. :) Good times!! I was in 21st going into the last round and shot another 72 to finish in a tie for 20th. It was my best finish thus far on the Future's Tour. 54 hole event...5 bogeys, an eagle, 4 birdies, and 44 pars!!! SO BORING...haha. I actually wouldn't complain about those scores, just would much rather have had a few more birdie putts drop! It was a fun week seeing some of my friends from the tour and being able to have Jackie caddy. (She is my college golf coach for those who haven't met her.) We had a great time together...and obviously worked well on the golf course too!
I leave tomorrow to drive to Portland and fly out on Saturday morning to go to Phoenix. I am playing in a one-round qualifier for the US Women's Open. I am looking forward to getting to play again and have high expectations for the tournament!
Thanks for your emails...keep 'em coming!
~Kailin
Even though I'm a few days late...I wanted to let everyone know how El Paso turned out. Overall, I was very pleased with my tournament and excited to be back out playing, and play well!! I shot 71 (1 under) the first round and found myself in 9th place. That day was highlighted with an eagle on the 2nd hole (my 11th) from 138 yards. I went right at the pin with a 9 iron and it took one hop, hit the pin and dropped. Unfortunately, I didn't see it and couldn't tell it had fallen in. I thought it bounced over, but the cart caddy told me otherwise. There was a few laughs of unbelief and a little celebration. It has been a while since I've done this and it was fun....who can complain about a 0 putt! In the 2nd round I shot 72 and was thankful to finish with that score after a very eventful last hole. I won't give you the whole story, because I don't want to put the whole image in your heads...but let's just say I got a friendly skip from the pond, and a good bounce from the rock on the other edge of the water. :) Good times!! I was in 21st going into the last round and shot another 72 to finish in a tie for 20th. It was my best finish thus far on the Future's Tour. 54 hole event...5 bogeys, an eagle, 4 birdies, and 44 pars!!! SO BORING...haha. I actually wouldn't complain about those scores, just would much rather have had a few more birdie putts drop! It was a fun week seeing some of my friends from the tour and being able to have Jackie caddy. (She is my college golf coach for those who haven't met her.) We had a great time together...and obviously worked well on the golf course too!
I leave tomorrow to drive to Portland and fly out on Saturday morning to go to Phoenix. I am playing in a one-round qualifier for the US Women's Open. I am looking forward to getting to play again and have high expectations for the tournament!
Thanks for your emails...keep 'em coming!
~Kailin
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
What it's like to be a BEAVER!!
Well, I know it has been a while since I have posted a blog, but to say the least, this last month has been CRAZY and HECTIC, but very exciting and rewarding! I posted last to tell you about my job news and at the end of March I started with Oregon State. I'll kind of skim through the last month to tell you what I've been doing. The team had a tournament in Eugene (which was officially my first day of work) and I was temporarily living in Corvallis. A week later we traveled to Phoenix for a tournament and my mom flew down and met me, at which point we left to drive my car (which had been in Phoenix) to Albuquerque to pack and move my stuff up to Oregon. We made our drive north and I actually left my mom in Boise...I flew out to meet and surprise the team at the Stanford event (which was one of my favorite college courses). My mom finished the drive (what a trooper) and met me that weekend in Corvallis. I have moved into an apartment...or kind of moved in, I am still very much living out of boxes and until today haven't even had a bed!
I am loving my job, loving the team, loving the people I work with, and yes, I guess you could say I'm a little bit excited about all of it!!! I feel like it was a good decision and a good fit. It all feels very natural and meant to be! I am surrounded by black and orange on a daily basis (which I'm getting used to) but I've had no problem defending the Beavers to my Dad (who is a huge Duck fan). I am anticipating late this fall when he comes crying for tickets to the Civil War football game (which is in Corvallis this year)!!! :)
I am in the airport, trying to finish this very quickly, leaving for El Paso, TX for a Futures Tour event. I am very excited to be getting out to play again and obviously will love the change in weather. The tournament is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and they will have the live scoring available at www.duramedfuturestour.com
I promise to give more updates...more often. Thank you all for your emails, they've been very fun!
Birdies, birdies, and more birdies...and GO BEAVERS!!!
~Kailin
I am loving my job, loving the team, loving the people I work with, and yes, I guess you could say I'm a little bit excited about all of it!!! I feel like it was a good decision and a good fit. It all feels very natural and meant to be! I am surrounded by black and orange on a daily basis (which I'm getting used to) but I've had no problem defending the Beavers to my Dad (who is a huge Duck fan). I am anticipating late this fall when he comes crying for tickets to the Civil War football game (which is in Corvallis this year)!!! :)
I am in the airport, trying to finish this very quickly, leaving for El Paso, TX for a Futures Tour event. I am very excited to be getting out to play again and obviously will love the change in weather. The tournament is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and they will have the live scoring available at www.duramedfuturestour.com
I promise to give more updates...more often. Thank you all for your emails, they've been very fun!
Birdies, birdies, and more birdies...and GO BEAVERS!!!
~Kailin
Thursday, March 20, 2008
BIG NEWS!!!
I will start off with the most recent news first...I won my first professional event yesterday in Phoenix on the Cactus Tour. We were playing at Las Colinas, which is a golf course I knew I liked, I guess I just didn't know exactly how much I liked it. I shot 68 the first day and was in 2nd by 2. The 2nd round, I had 9 birdies and 9 pars to shoot a 62 (par 71) and broke the course record. I then had an 11 stroke lead going into the last round. I shot 69 yesterday to win the event by 9. I had 4 bogeys for the entire round...kinda fun!!!! I should say it was a good way to finish (temporarily).
Now, the other news...I have taken a job as the assistant women's golf coach at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. About a month ago I was informed of an opening and it caught my curiosity. I gave myself a few days to think it over and decided to go ahead and apply to see what happened, if nothing else, it was good experience to go through the process. About a week later I got a phone call saying that I had made it to the final 5 and would be doing a phone interview. After going through that process, the next week I got another phone call saying that they had decided to bring in some other people for on campus interviews and I wasn't one of those people at that time, but that didn't mean I wouldn't hear back from them if they didn't hire any of those people. It had been about 2 weeks and I was pretty sure that it wasn't meant to be and that they had hired someone. Then, on Monday of last week, I got a phone call saying that they wanted to bring me up for an interview. I finished my Cactus Tour event last week (tied for 4th) and flew up to Portland early Thursday morning. After a long day of interviews (very intense) and walking around in shoes that should be against the law....because they hurt your feet so badly!!!, I retired to my hotel room feeling pretty good about the whole day, but not entirely sure. By 8:00 Friday morning before I had left town, the head coach, Rise Lakowske, had called me and offered me the job!!! I took a day to figure things out and make sure that I wanted to do this, and Saturday night I accepted the job.
I am very excited to be closer to home (2 - 2 1/2 hours) and to be back in the college golf atmosphere again. My golf this week after this decision only confirms to myself that I made a good decision and I am very, very happy and excited about it. I am in the airport right now getting ready to fly into Redmond (home) for a couple of days and then I will drive to Corvallis on Saturday morning to start my job! We have the University of Oregon tournament this Monday and Tuesday...I'll be sure and bring my rain gear! I will be at work for about a week and a half and then we travel down to Phoenix for the Arizona State tournament. At that point, my Mom is going to fly in and drive with me to Albuquerque (my car is still in Phoenix) and I will move all of my stuff up to Oregon.
I still have plans to play in some tournaments. I will be playing in the Futures Tour tournament in El Paso in early May, US Women's Open qualifying in May, and the Washington State Open in early June. Other than that, the schedule has not been determined. Again, I can't express how excited I am about this!!! I will still posts blogs periodically, I guess they will just be a bit different!
www.thecactustour.com (click on updates, results, and pictures)
www.osubeavers.com
GO BEAVERS!! ~Kailin
Now, the other news...I have taken a job as the assistant women's golf coach at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. About a month ago I was informed of an opening and it caught my curiosity. I gave myself a few days to think it over and decided to go ahead and apply to see what happened, if nothing else, it was good experience to go through the process. About a week later I got a phone call saying that I had made it to the final 5 and would be doing a phone interview. After going through that process, the next week I got another phone call saying that they had decided to bring in some other people for on campus interviews and I wasn't one of those people at that time, but that didn't mean I wouldn't hear back from them if they didn't hire any of those people. It had been about 2 weeks and I was pretty sure that it wasn't meant to be and that they had hired someone. Then, on Monday of last week, I got a phone call saying that they wanted to bring me up for an interview. I finished my Cactus Tour event last week (tied for 4th) and flew up to Portland early Thursday morning. After a long day of interviews (very intense) and walking around in shoes that should be against the law....because they hurt your feet so badly!!!, I retired to my hotel room feeling pretty good about the whole day, but not entirely sure. By 8:00 Friday morning before I had left town, the head coach, Rise Lakowske, had called me and offered me the job!!! I took a day to figure things out and make sure that I wanted to do this, and Saturday night I accepted the job.
I am very excited to be closer to home (2 - 2 1/2 hours) and to be back in the college golf atmosphere again. My golf this week after this decision only confirms to myself that I made a good decision and I am very, very happy and excited about it. I am in the airport right now getting ready to fly into Redmond (home) for a couple of days and then I will drive to Corvallis on Saturday morning to start my job! We have the University of Oregon tournament this Monday and Tuesday...I'll be sure and bring my rain gear! I will be at work for about a week and a half and then we travel down to Phoenix for the Arizona State tournament. At that point, my Mom is going to fly in and drive with me to Albuquerque (my car is still in Phoenix) and I will move all of my stuff up to Oregon.
I still have plans to play in some tournaments. I will be playing in the Futures Tour tournament in El Paso in early May, US Women's Open qualifying in May, and the Washington State Open in early June. Other than that, the schedule has not been determined. Again, I can't express how excited I am about this!!! I will still posts blogs periodically, I guess they will just be a bit different!
www.thecactustour.com (click on updates, results, and pictures)
www.osubeavers.com
GO BEAVERS!! ~Kailin
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