KRYSTLE Caithness is a modest individual. But with three points out of three from the Curtis Cup and a top-six finish in the Women's World Amateur Championship the teenager has decided the time is ripe to abandon her studies at Georgia University in the US and, instead, join this winter's Ladies' European Tour Qualifying School.
Becoming a tournament player has long been a dream for the Fife girl who first hit the sports pages when, at the age of 14, she reached the matchplay stages of the Scottish Women's Championship over her beloved Old Course at St Andrews. And after an
impressive 2008, she now reckons she is ready to take the plunge.
Her decision to leave Georgia at just the start of her second year came as a shock, but it was clearly well thought out rather than some sudden whim. "I wasn't really enjoying it in America and I felt I was ready to try Tour School," she said of the test she will face at La Manga in Spain in January.
"The Curtis Cup is the peak of any amateur golfer's career. Originally, I had intended to maybe turn professional in 2010, but I had come to think that it was just going to be a wasted year. I'm well prepared for Tour School and have a really good team of people on board."
At the start of this year, Caithness, a proud honorary member of the St Regulus Club, started working with a new coach, Gary Forrester, who operates the St Andrews Golf School (standrewsgolfschool.com). And after a concentrated block of work over the summer, her game, and her confidence, have blossomed.
"I'm one of those golfers who need constant supervision," she said, giving further insight into the reason for her early return to Scotland. "I could keep in touch with Gary by e-mail and video from America, but it's so much better when it's one-to-one at home. He can look at my swing and fix it so quickly."
Forrester certainly has no qualms about his leading female pupil making the break into the professional game. "She's definitely ready to take that next step," he said. "She's never one to blow her own trumpet, but her amateur record speaks for itself. She had a great Curtis Cup and then was sixth individual (and top Briton) at the World Team event in Australia in October. These were all the girls that she will be up against at Tour School.
"When she came back from the States a couple of weeks ago she was pretty disillusioned. But, already, her confidence is high and the self-belief is there. Technically she is more than capable, and she knows how to play and think her way round a golf course."
Forrester had just a minor input in the run-up to the Curtis Cup at St Andrews in June but, over the summer, the pair worked hard on her long game – she's managed to increase her clubhead speed and produce a lower, more penetrating ball flight. In the few weeks left before Tour School, her already enviable short game will be further honed.
With sessions in the gym part and parcel of 21st century golf, Caithness, who is back enjoying the home comforts of family life in Cupar, has been working on strengthening her slender frame, while yet another vital member of her back-up team is the Blairgowrie-based sports psychologist, Brian McGowan.
As for her US golf scholarship experience, she remains grateful for the opportunities that both the university and the college circuit provided. But the former Waid Academy pupil certainly has no regrets. "Studying has all been forgotten about," she jauntily admitted. "I'm just so happy to be back home. I love playing my golf at St Andrews."
As for the La Manga exam, she has already had a word with third year Tour professional, and fellow Scot, Clare Queen, about the possible pitfalls. And having to face both pre-qualifying (5-8 January) and then, hopefully, the final qualifying (13-16 January), she fully understands that gaining membership of the 2009 LET will be no stroll in the Spanish sun.
But Forrester has no doubts that a glittering career beckons. "There is nothing to stop Krystle from getting her card and having a great rookie season," he said. "She had such a great 2008 that I definitely think she's doing the wise thing. She's right to strike when the iron's hot."
The full article contains 765 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
