Turn on the television any weekend and you can catch the best golfers in the world.
The cameras and announcers focus in on the likes of Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Cristie Kerr, Paula Cramer or the number of new faces who are grabbing a share of the spotlight. You may even catch a glimpse of the also-rans, who have made the cut.
What you don’t see are the numerous players who are fighting to find the consistency and support needed to make the Big Time.
Red Deer’s Adrienne White finds herself in a group so close to making the LPGA they can taste it.
White has had a taste of the LPGA Tour, having played in six events last season while also competing in the CN Canadian Open in 2008 and 2009.
She’s a full-time member of the LPGA’s Futures Tour, but it’s a full-time berth on the LPGA Tour that drives her.
The 26-year-old placed 137th on the LPGA money list last season with $14,454. She needed to finish in the top 125 to earn her full-time card. She came within a whisker of reaching that goal but missed the cut by two strokes in the LPGA Tour championship when she received a two-stroke penalty for something her caddy, at the time, did while raking a bunker before he should have.
But White isn’t about to place blame.
“I can’t hold that against anyone,” she said in a telephone interview from her home in Phoenix. “It’s tough to make the top 125 when you play in six events. There are 13 full field events and 23 or 24 overall. You can’t compare to the players who play most of the events.”
White says it’s frustrating at times to be so close, yet so far away.
“For sure,” she said. “It’s so hard as at times you feel you’re going nowhere, even if you’re moving forward. There’s so many different aspects of the game that affects you. One thing I’m struggling with now is that I’ve been going to the gym and getting stronger. My swing is more powerful, but I need to learn how to control that and it takes time to do.
“It’s a process to improve one part of your game and learn to control the other parts, but then we’re all perfectionists.”
What White does better as she gains more experience is to control her emotions.
“I keep reminding myself it’s a difficult process. I’m playing against the best in the world and they don’t succeed every time out either. I have to keep grinding and eventually it will be there.
“I know I’m a lot better player now than I was at the beginning of last year in terms of experience and being able to handle the pressure and keeping myself prepared.”
White knows she has the skill to compete on the LPGA Tour, it’s a matter of being able to handle the pressure day in and day out.
“That’s certainly one of the major factors,” she said. “You have to be able to stay in the moment. There’s so much happening around you it’s easy to get wrapped up in everything. The players who know how to shut out everything and focus on the task at hand will succeed.
“But even the best in the world, such as Rory McIlroy at the Masters, have to learn to handle the pressure. It affects you in so many ways.”
White works with Vision54, who coached Annika Sorenstam from junior to the end of her career,
“We work on the different skills, but we work on the mental strength as much as the technical side of the game,” said White, adding she’s also concentrating on her putting.
“I’ve been working on it a lot. I feel that I hit the ball well enough to shoot low, but it’s a matter of making the putts. I bought a new putter a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I finished in a tie for 24th (at a Future event) in Mexico last week and I putted a lot better. I’m excited about it.”
But while White is excited about her future that wasn’t the case a couple of years back.
“My first two years I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to pack it in. I wondered what I was doing, and why I was out here. I was spending a ridiculous amount of money. I ate a lot of oatmeal and beans for dinner.
“It took a lot to learn that you need to spend money to make money and once I had a little success I got more sponsorship and it was easier to get clubs, balls and all the equipment you need.”
White, who says it costs around $75,000 a year for expenses, has three major sponsors in Quinn Pumps of Red Deer, CVS Controls of Edmonton and Fifth Avenue Collection of Moose Jaw.
“I also have a number of smaller donations from individuals and companies from around Red Deer who know what I’m doing and support me,” explained White.
Because of her sponsorship White is in a better position than some of her competitors.
“You see players with a lot of potential, who can’t afford to go to the different events. I’m fortunate to have that sponsorship and great support from my family. I still try to keep my expenses down, but I’m lucky in that I can go to the different events and hire the coaches I want.”
Travel expenses are what takes the most money.
“You’re on the road 35 weeks a year and there’s travel, car rentals, gas and when you’re out of the country you pay for your caddy,” she explained.
White is starting her travel season as she just returned from playing in a pair of Future Tour events in Florida and Mexico, pocketing $1,574.
She’ll travel to Mobile, Ala., Monday to attempt to qualify for the Avnet LPGA Classic.
“I’ll try to qualify for as many LPGA events I can and fill in the gaps on the Futures Tour,” she explained. “I’ll also compete on the CN Canadian Tour.”
The first Canadian event is May 16-18 in Squamish, B.C.
She also hopes to compete on the European and Asian Tours.
“There’s a lot of good competition and it would be an opportunity to gain more experience,” she said. “I’d like to learn how to travel and play internationally.”
White doesn’t have any plans on dropping her goal to play on the LPGA any time soon.
“I’m still four or five years away from my prime,” she said. “I haven’t given myself a time line when I may quit. In fact I don’t really think about it much. I know I won’t be sitting out here when I’m 40, but I’ll stay at it until I stop loving what I’m doing.”
When she does pack it in she doesn’t have much desire to be a teaching pro, but wouldn’t mind coaching a college team.
“Plus I have a few other ideas I’d like to get off the ground,” she said. “I’d like to give back to golf in Canada and work with those trying to make the transition from amateur to professional. It’s a difficult transition and I’d like to put a few things in place to make it easier. Plus I have a few other ideas which I believe will be good.”
drode@www.reddeeradvocate.com