Menu
Shrum tabbed Horizon League Golfer of the Week
VALPARAISO -- Playing in front of her nearly-hometown crowd for the first time in her college career, Valparaison freshman Sydney Shrum didn't disappoint.
Shrum finished this week's Butler Invitational with a 36-hole total of 154, sixth-place at the event and tied for the fifth-best tournament in Valpo history.
Her success led to her being named the Horizon League Golfer of the Week.
"It feels really good," Shrum said. "It was the best contact I've had in five months."
The former Cloverdale star said she wasn't focused on records or awards, she just wanted to play with her team in the next tournament. Valpo had two tournaments on Monday and Tuesday, and Shrum competed with the split squad at Highlands Country Club while five of her teammates played at The 2013 Preview at The Hawthorns in Fishers.
The coach told the golfers the top five adjusted scores would travel to the Missouri State tournament next week.
"I really wanted to go to our next tournament," Shrum said. "It feels really good. That was the first time I've gotten to see my family (since college started). I felt good.
"It looked really good. I just felt a lot better about it. I still hit some really terrible shots."
After shooting a 79 on Monday to put herself in the top five, Shrum double-bogeyed the first hole on Tuesday. Rather than getting down on herself, she refocused and parred the next five holes.
She said the team met with Dr. Rob Bell on Sunday, a "mental coach" who is friends with Valpo head coach Mat Blair. After struggling with her mental game throughout the summer, Shrum said his talk put her in the right state of mind.
"I guess it put my head in a really good spot," Shrum said. "I started my second day out with a double and I was perfectly fine with it. ... He said, 'Don't let anything bother you and don't focus on your bad shots."
Shrum said she found out about the Golfer of the Week honor when her mom sent her a screenshot of the Valparaiso website on Wednesday night. The team didn't do anything special at practice Thursday, similar to when senior Michelle Kleckner won the award earlier this year.
The Butler Invitational was the second tournament of Shrum's season. Valparaiso next match is Monday at the Payne Stewart Memorial tournament in Springfield, Mo.