Dear Editor:
It was 3 p.m. I was bored and went to watch the Plant City High School girls play a round of golf with the girls from Steinbrenner High. Not only was I cured of the boredom of a hot summer afternoon, but also I was treated to a golf clinic put on — if you can believe this — by a young lady, a sophomore no less, named Kendall Johnson.
A short summary: She started out with a double bogey on hole No. 3. Her drive found the rough, she chipped out and was on the green in four. Her fifth shot rimmed the cup and thus her double bogey.
She went on to par the fourth, fifth and birdied the sixth. Made par on the seventh and eighth, then went on to eagle the par-five ninth hole. Yes, I said eagle.
She was on the green in two and faced a nasty left to right putt. I only can imagine the pressure that faced this young lady in this situation. Showing absolutely no emotion at all, she took her practice stroke, looked at the hole and sunk the putt. No smiles, no hand slapping, no outward emotion at all. She made her way past the astonished spectators without a glance and got ready for her next challenge. She made par on the No. 1 hole and finished her game with a birdie on No. 2. She finished with a nine-hole round of 34.
This kid is something else. Tiger Woods could learn a thing or two from this young lady in the art of controlling one’s emotions. Nerves of steel is the best description I could come up with, and that doesn’t describe exactly what I saw.
I don’t care if you’re a teenager or 70 years old — to shoot a 34 at Walden Lake is amazing. The course is in terrible condition. No grass on the fairways, a cruel, ankle-deep rough, sand traps without sand, and fire ants throughout the course challenges the best of you. Oh, did I mention she carried her bag in the 94-degree Florida sun for the entire nine holes?
Ms. Johnson, thank you for making my day of boredom one to remember.
Louis Artalona
Plant City