WOMEN'S GOLF: Young Guns aiming for title (06/23)

By CHUCK JONES cjones@thenewsenterprise.com ELIZABETHTOWN— Before every golf season begins, Lydia Gumm sits down with her father, Greg, and they outline her schedule. In the process, they pick out four tournaments, which the pair call majors. One of Gumm’s majors begins today as the 82nd Kentucky Women’s State Amateur Championship kicks off today at Elizabethtown Country Club. “It’s huge,” Gumm said of the tournament. “It’s one of my majors. It’s a big deal. There’s a bunch of good players. This one means a lot.” Gumm isn’t alone on her sentiments of one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the state. “I’m not trying to go out and prove anything this year, but I still want to do well,” Karisa Akin said. “It’s on my home course. I want to go out and have fun. That’s the main thing.” The tournament begins today with the qualifying round, which is stroke play. The top 31 golfers as well as the defending champion earn a spot in the championship flight. The rest of the tournament is match play. Morgan Cross, Akin and Gumm are three of the most decorated golfers this area has seen. Those three as well as Tonya Puckett, Kaela Smith, Caitlyn Wilkerson and Paige Raine were once the future of golf in this area, but now their time is here. Need proof? This is Cross’ fifth State Am. She has been in the championship flight every year, and at last year’s tournament, Cross advanced to the finals before falling to Jessica Grace at Miller Memorial Golf Club. “Obviously I wanted to win, but Jessica played well,” Cross said. “I was surprised to get that far. But now I know what it’s like to get to the end. It does help with your confidence.” Akin is playing in her sixth State Am. She made it to the semifinals two years ago before being beat by eventual runner-up Jessica Smith. “My swing is a lot better and I feel pretty good about my game right now,” Akin said. “I’ve never been this relaxed before a State Am.” This is Gumm’s fourth State Am. She missed the championship flight in her first attempt, but won the first flight that year. Gumm has been in the top flight the last two years, reaching the quarterfinals last year. “I feel pretty good,” Gumm said. “I’m hitting the ball better. The greens are really hard and really fast. The short game is going to be a big part of the scoring.” Today’s qualifying round can be more nerve racking than the rest of the tournament. Every player is trying to earn one of those 31 allotted slots. “It’s one of the bigger rounds,” Gumm said. “You want to play well and put yourself in good shape on Tuesday. You want to earn a good spot.” The players agree match play is a different type of game compared to stroke play. Players don’t have much experience in it either, but it’s one Cross has grown fond of. “It’s totally different, but I like it,” Cross said. “I’m more comfortable, and for whatever reason, I tend to do better. If you have one bad hole, you know you can make it up on the next hole. You just have to stay focused and concentrate.” Having the tournament at a course the players on familiar with gives them an advantage, but with that advantage comes certain expectations. “We do have an edge, but there’s still a lot of pressure,” Cross said. “Everyone expects you to do well. That kind of makes me nervous. I just want to go out and play well because it is such a big tournament.” Chuck Jones can be reached at 505-1759