High: I came into this season with much more experience than last time on the LPGA. I had won four times on the Symetra Tour since my last time having LPGA status and I had played the majority of the courses so I felt much more comfortable and confident at tournaments.

Low: Started the year off with food poisoning the night of the first round of the year in the Bahamas. Somehow, I was able to play the 2nd round. I’ve never felt so sick on a golf course but I’ve never withdrawn and I didn’t want to start my year off that way.

High: I was able to take my mom on a bucket list trip to Australia. We had such a great time in Adelaide even though I missed the cut. We fed kangaroos, held a Koala bear, and took a wine bus tour! It’s a trip we will never forget!

Low: A week before we left for 3 weeks out west in March, our cat passed away.

High: Finally made my first cut in the Kia Classic and found myself tied for the lead through 46 holes. That led to a tied for 18th finish.

High: My finish at the Kia Classic qualified me for the first major of the year: ANA. It is a very difficult major to qualify for so I was really proud of myself for getting in.

High and Low: Shot 3 under in the US Women’s Open Qualifier. Played 36 holes in one day and the 2nd 18 was in driving rain and shot 68. I finished tied for 3rd (3 spots available out of 70+ girls) but then finished 2nd in the playoff which gave me 1st alternate position. I was at the “strongest” site so I thought USGA would put me at the top of the list for alternates but unfortunately, I didn’t get in.

High: The week after the qualifier I shot 64 (my career low LPGA round) in Canada where I found myself tied for the lead at one point. I had 10 birdies in that round.

Low: I managed to follow my low round with my high round of the year and had no birdies in tough conditions. Golf can sometimes bite you in the butt!

Low: The next week, I woke up with pain in my lower abdomen. Fast forward a few weeks and I found out that I have a sports hernia. I had some pain here and there for the rest of the year but never felt like I needed to withdraw and I wanted to finish out my year and deal with it after the season.

High: I qualified for my 2nd major of the year: KPMG outside of Chicago. My in-laws were able to make the trip to come watch.

High: I made 6 out of 8 cuts in a row (Yes, I played 8 tournaments in a row, I’m exhausted just writing that)

High: We got to go to 3 fields this year for Pro-Am parties: University of Michigan aka “The Big House” (Travis was like a little kid and loved throwing a football on the field), Wrigley Field (got to go down into the dugout with LPGA Commish), and Lambeau Field (We are Chicago fans but still pretty cool to see the field in person).

High: I played in Scotland for the first time in my life. For any golf nerd out there, St. Andrews is the most magical place and so much better in person! I played well in the Scottish Open through some of the coldest and windiest conditions I’ve ever played in. I got paid to play in Scotland, how many people can say that!?

Low: I wasn’t in the British Open so I had to do the Monday qualifier. After finishing my round on Sunday, we drove 2 hours to the St. Andrews Castle Course and walked the course to try and get familiar with the set up. The next day I had an early tee time and shot 1 under. I thought it would be good enough but I missed it by 1 shot.

Low: Rewind to a few days before the qualifier and we heard from my father-in-law that his wife (Margo) woke up with stomach pain in the middle of the night. After a few days of testing, they found out that she had a large mass on her stomach and she was diagnosed with stage-4 pancreatic cancer. We got the call right after we finished our qualifier in Scotland and had planned to stay the rest of the week. The doctor gave her 6 months to live so we decided to stay and try and enjoy our mini vacation.

Low: 2 weeks after we came back and 2 days before we were leaving for another 3 week stretch, we got a call that you never want to hear. My mother-in-law was in the hospital and wasn’t going to make it. We were able to switch flights and have one last day with her in the hospital. It was the most gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and emotional day of my life. We left on a Monday afternoon for Canada and 2 days later she passed away. I’ll forever be thankful for my last trip with her in Chicago and the memories our family has made with her. I was very emotional the next few weeks on tour and it was very difficult to concentrate hence missing 2 cuts in a row (Portland missed by 1).

High: 3 weeks after Margo passed away we were in the same city (Indianapolis) for a tournament. We thought we’d have a small group watching but we had family and friends from all over come to watch. It was just the support we needed after a rough few weeks. As I hit my approach shot on the 36th hole to 3 feet, Travis and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes knowing that Margo was with us to help us make the cut. It was an emotional week but a great one knowing we were able to pull ourselves together and play on the weekend.

Low: Our trip back home was delayed a few days because of Hurricane Irma. I ended up 2nd alternate for Evian (another major missed by 1 shot) and decided not to take the risk to fly there. Good thing I didn’t because I wouldn’t have gotten in, and we flew home to no power and hurricane damage. Now we are waiting for our Insurance adjustor to come out with hope that they can help us! I also got an MRI while I was home and it was determined that I do have a sports hernia which most likely means I need surgery ☹

High: We took our first trip to New Zealand! It was such a long flight but awesome to have another Country added to our passport. I was under the assumption that NZ was tropical but boy was it cold, rainy and windy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do much exploring but I guess it’s a good problem to have since I made the cut and didn’t have the time. I managed to play 47 holes without a bogey in tough conditions. I am so proud of myself for making pars while having to get it up and down in difficult places (including twice from 80-100 yards).

Low: After making a bogey on my 48th hole, I managed to make bogey or worse on the last 7 holes. I couldn’t make it stop. It was a combination of really bad luck, wrong club choices at times, and a mental lapse. I went from the top 10 to 73rd place in a matter of 2 hours. It was heartbreaking as I knew I needed to play well to keep my full card. Sunday’s round was a disaster and mentally, I was checking out. We played on and off the course  all day and played a total of 9 holes before they finally called it. The conditions were the most difficult I’ve ever played in. This resulted in a Monday finish and meant I was going to miss my flight. My caddie/husband had to fly home (way too expensive to change his flight) and I had to re-book a whole new flight on another airline where I was stuck in a middle seat for 12 hours in economy (so uncomfortable!). I finished tied for 70th and went down on the money list.

High: Two days after I came back from NZ, I made a trip to Tampa to see a doctor that specializes in sports hernias. I have a small tear, which means I do not have to have surgery! He prescribed me six weeks of physical therapy and hopefully that will do the trick.

I finished 109 on the money list to keep my card for next year. Its conditional status which means twice next year, I will be in a reshuffle. However, I should get into almost everything I did this year accept maybe one or two less events. I can go back to Q-school to try and improve my status but at this moment, I’m not sure if I will.

Overall, I’m proud of myself this year and know that there is a lot I can work on this off season. I’m going to concentrate on getting stronger physically and mentally. I know I have the talent and capability, it’s just believing in myself a little more. I have made great friends this year that will last a lifetime and stayed with a lot of amazing host families (Thanks to those of you who have hosted us!) Both my parents and in-laws were able to make several trips to come watch me play this year! I’ll forever be grateful for their support. I saw more sunrises than sunsets at golf courses throughout the year and had countless alarms that started with a 4. I can’t thank my husband, Travis, enough for being my rock this year on tour. We’ve had our ups and downs but we’ve worked through them and can’t wait to get better this off-season. Thanks for reading this novel! I wanted to give a transparent insight to my year. It’s not always the most glamorous lifestyle, but I wouldn’t trade living my dream for the world!

This year would not have been possible without my awesome sponsors! Thank you to Ping, 2GG Apparel, Titleist, Footjoy, and my home club, Meadowood Golf and Tennis Club in Fort Pierce, Florida.