The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Catching up with Kristin Walla
05.13.2009 | Women's Golf
May 13, 2009
Senior Kristin Walla saved some of her best for last, finishing last week's NCAA West Regional Championship in a tie for ninth place at 1-under par. It marked the best finish of Walla's Texas Women's Golf career.
With Walla leading or co-leading UT after each round of the three-day event, the Longhorns advanced to their second straight NCAA Championship appearance under head coach Martha Richards.
Walla recently talked with TexasSports.com about her performance, and the team's preparation for next week's national tournament.
Was this finish just four years in the making? Golf is a funny game. You can feel like you have the best game possible, but you might not be scoring. And some days you may miss the ball, and still score well. I feel like the results I had last week were a culmination of working hard and practicing hard, and finally letting it happen. I had to let it go, and just trust myself.
Is this the most consistent you've played during a tournament? My teammates will tell you, when I'm on the course and in front of them, they'll see me hit some pretty weird shots. I kind of have a reputation for scrambling for my scores, and doing some crazy things to make my pars. But this tournament, when I missed a fairway it wasn't by very much, and I hit a lot more greens. I just made it easy on myself. The last day, I was five for five on up-and-downs. I didn't have a lot of scary par putts, and when I did, when it mattered, I made them. It was definitely the most consistent play I've seen from myself probably ever.
Did you go in with the mindset to just make pars, hit fairways and greens? I just kept telling myself that it's a 54-hole event. If there was ever something when I thought about going for it, or laying up, I laid up for the most part. Mostly, I was just striping the ball. My irons were going at flagsticks. Even when I was nervous, I found myself able to execute.
How did the team rally the confidence going into the NCAA West Regional? Throughout this whole year, we felt like we were a talented team, but never really showed what we were capable of. We had some solid finishes, maybe some good rounds. So, it felt like now or never. During the practice round, everyone was pumping each other up. We had a lot of course knowledge. Everyone just knew what they were going to do. Everyone handled their business, and that's when it works out the best.
What was the reaction after the first day, when you guys are tied for second? In golf, when you start out really well, it's just important to keep beating yourself from the day before, and keep focused on doing better. In golf, there's always something you can do better. It's not a game of perfect, but you can get excited about playing even better the next day.
What about the set-up in Tempe, Ariz., favored you? It was the kind of course that rewarded good shots. There weren't really any crazy bounces.
The setting will be different at the NCAA Championship, with a more traditional layout. How does that affect you? I've always liked that style. That's what I grew up playing. It will be different than Arizona, where the trees are few and far between, compared to a forest.
