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Inside The Ropes
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What happens in college stays in college, right? Well, at least the stuff you don’t want your parents to know about. For the best collegiate golfers, what happens at team tournaments and amateur events can be fuel for a professional golf career. Southern California has long been a hotbed for producing golfers who have made the leap from college to the pros. Not all of these players stayed four years to earn their degrees, but the college experience helped prepare them for the competitive and social rigors of life as a touring professional. Here are three college standouts that have amassed impressive amateur résumés that likely will be complete once the NCAA Championships conclude this month. Keep an eye on them as they continue on the road to the highest levels. Cameron Tringale  College: Georgia Tech Notable: Won two events apiece in freshman and senior seasons. In the past 20 years, Georgia Tech has produced more than a few stars on the PGA Tour, including David Duval, Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar. Cameron Tringale hopes to add his name to that list. Since his days at Mission Viejo High School, Tringale has wanted to be a professional golfer. That aspiration, combined with seeking a change of scenery for college, made joining the Yellow Jackets an ideal choice. “I love Southern California and I always will, but I’ve lived there my entire life,” said Tringale, who grew up in southern Orange County and spent a lot of time at Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita. “I was interested in trying something new and experiencing a new culture.” If his first season was any indication, the cross-country move was the right decision. Tringale won twice and became the first Georgia Tech freshman to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. His game went into a bit of a lull during his sophomore and junior seasons, when he didn’t win any individual titles. Whatever killer instinct Tringale lost in those years he has rediscovered as a senior, as he’s won twice and owns a 71.63 stroke average. “In the second and third year, I played well, I just never really closed the deal like I have this year,” he said. “I don’t know that there’s much different about my game. But I think I’ve matured a little and have had the chips fall the right way.” What makes Tringale an intriguing prospect for the next level is consistency. He’s teed it up for Georgia Tech at every tournament since arriving there, and by staying in school for four years, he’s been able to grow as a person as well as a golfer. “You really have to have your time management down, and when you’ve got time to practice, you’ve got to make the most of it,” Tringale said. “What I’ve learned here will definitely help later because life doesn’t get any simpler when you graduate. You’ve got more and more things on your plate, so the better you can manage everything, the easier it is to focus on your goals.” Tringale, who will graduate with a degree in management, takes lessons from Southland instructor Tom Sargent. Tringale is unsure when he’ll turn pro because he might make a run at the U.S. Walker Cup team. Regardless, he’ll register for PGA Tour Qualifying School later this year, he said. Tiffany Joh  College: UCLA Notable: Two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champion. The first LPGA Tour event Tiffany Joh attended was the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship. “I remember following Christina Kim and thinking, this was the life, this must be amazing to do for a living,” Joh said. Fast forward six years, when the San Diegan returned to Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage — this time as a competitor by virtue of her strong amateur record. But Joh, a three-time All-American and two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champion, wasn’t hitting the ball up to her standards heading into the event. “I’ve kind of been struggling with my game as of late,” said Joh, who missed half the fairways for the week and hit only 57 percent of the greens in regulation. The UCLA senior said that when she arrived in college she often relied too much on her prowess from tee to green and neglected her short game. But that’s no longer the case, and Joh’s performance at the Kraft Nabisco proved it. She tied for 21st, needing only 1.54 putts per hole. “What I learned at the Kraft is when it comes down to big tournaments, no matter how nervous you are, once you get in the moment, it helps you focus that much more,” said Joh, who tied for low-amateur honors at the LPGA’s first major of the year. A graduate of Rancho Bernardo High School, Joh grew up in a home bordering Rancho Bernardo Country Club, though the roots of her skills can be traced to the Pro Kids Golf Academy at Colina Park Golf Course and San Diego municipal courses such as Torrey Pines and Balboa Park. Attending UCLA, where Joh will graduate with a communications degree this summer, has given her balance and perspective. Though she’ll turn pro this year, she’s adamant about not putting too much pressure on herself. “This will be like my internship,” Joh said, likening the first phase of her journey to what many of her peers will experience in other fields. “I’ll see where it goes.” Based on her performance to this point, that internship could solidify into a full-time job pretty quickly. Jane Chin  College: UC Irvine Notable: Won individual title in three of four events last fall. It’s not uncommon for college athletes to take a year off — or redshirt — for the sake of developing skills or rehabbing an injury. Jane Chin redshirted for the former reason. But the timing was what made it interesting. Frustrated by inconsistency with her driver, the Huntington Beach native elected to take time off after her junior year ended in 2007 and return as a redshirt senior last fall. “During my junior year, I teed off with only my 3-wood or irons,” she said. “I just didn’t know where my driver was going to go. I was scared to hit it.” Her junior season, which included three top-10 finishes and recognition on the All-Big West first team, wasn’t anything to sneeze at, but Chin knew she was still far from fulfilling her potential. The Marina High School graduate was a prominent competitor at American Junior Golf Association events and knew her 76.5 stroke average could be lower if she was better off the tee. So Chin, a criminology major, devoted her year away from college competition to studying and improving her game. She straightened out her driver with Claude Harmon III and worked with sports psychologist Neale Smith. The work paid off, as Chin medaled in three of four fall events and has maintained one of the lowest stroke averages in the country through the spring. She hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in a tournament this year, crediting her deft touch on the greens in addition to more confidence with the driver. “I took that year off to get myself to enjoy golf again,” Chin said. Harmon has moved to the Middle East to oversee development of his father’s golf school in Dubai, so Chin now works with Smith on the technical side as well. “Everything is in place,” she said. “Neale has really helped me tie everything together.” Chin, who honed her skills at Huntington Beach’s Meadowlark Golf Club and Fountain Valley’s David L. Baker Memorial Golf Course, said she’d like to remain in Orange County when she turns pro. She’ll spend her time on the Futures Tour this year, and if she doesn’t qualify for the LPGA Tour, she said she’ll enter Qualifying School. Eli Miller is the managing editor of Southland Golf. He can be reached at emiller@churmmedia.com. |
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