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Ex-Trojan Fitzgerald qualifies for U.S. Amateur Public Links

• Former Lee County golfer Abby Fitzgerald grabs the third and final spot on Team Georgia for the prestigious USGA 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in Wisconsin.

Danny Aller

COVINGTON — Sometimes, you just gotta keep the faith.

Or in the case of former Lee County and current Kennesaw State girls golf star Abby Fitzgerald, at least not think about it.

That’s exactly what Fitzgerald did Thursday, using a bit of reverse psychology on herself to take the pressure off and win the final qualifying spot on Team Georgia to represent the Peach State during the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship on June 16-21 in Erin, Wisc. The ex-Lady Trojans standout rallied to birdie the 18th hole of the Oaks Course in Covington and force a one-hole playoff, which Fitzgerald then birdied to punch her ticket.

“Playing relaxed golf is a place I’ve wanted to get my game to for a while,” Fitzgerald said. “And I think I finally got there (Thursday).”

But Fitzgerald, a sophomore at Kennesaw who finished with a five over 76 on the par 71 Oak Course, will be the first to admit, she almost didn’t make it.

After what she called a “solid” front nine, Fitzgerald’s scorecard blew up during holes 10, 11 and 12.

“No. 10 was a Par 5, and I hit into a hazard right off the bat, then triple bogeyed the hole and went on to bogey the next two,” she said. “I mean, I basically had just dropped five shots and I had no idea where I stood — but I knew it wasn’t good.”

But looking back now, Fitzgerald added, not knowing was probably for the best.

“After the way I started the back nine, I wasn’t saying a whole lot and neither was my caddy,” Fitzgerald laughed. “Other than to not give up and keep trying to make every putt.”

And ultimately — being concerned about finishing strong, and nothing else — is what saved the day for the budding Lady Owls star.

Fitzgerald proceeded to shot even par the next four holes, setting up her dramatic birdie on 18 to force the playoff with Decatur, Ala.’s, Suzanne Stanley.

“By the time we got to the end, I had no idea I was still in the running,” said Fitzgerald, who became the first player in the history of the Kennesaw State program to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links — one of 12 prestigious national tournaments held each year by the United States Golf Association. “But once we got to the playoff hole, I had settled down.”

She went on to birdie hole No. 1 — a Par 4 — and take any suspense out of the playoff outcome as Fitzgerald grabbed the final qualifying spot alongside the tournament’s top two finishers, Katelyn Poplawski, of Williston, Va., who shot a 73 for medallist honors, and Lauren Darnell, of Gainesville, who finished two better than Fitzgerald with a 74.

“This is a great achievement for Abby,” Kennesaw State head women’s golf coach Rhyll Brinsmead said in a statement released by the school. “It is a testament to the amount of hard work that she has put in, and how she has improved every facet of her game.”

The feat, says Fitzgerald, is one her biggest of her young career, especially considering she never finished higher than fifth last year in any of her team’s tournaments.

“Coming in, I hadn’t really been playing that well and seeing the field I was up against — I was a little intimidated,” she admitted. “But my parents and coach kept telling me, ‘Abby, you know you can do this.’ So, I just relaxed and let whatever happened happen.”

Of course, what’s happened is that she’s now headed to the national stage — with a chance to grab even more accolades.

“It’s huge — I haven’t felt this good in a long time and it just seems to keep getting better every minute I talk about it,” she said. “A lot of these girls I faced (Thursday) have been waxing me for a long time. so it feels good to finally beat them and get the job done. Right now, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

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