Sept. 29, 2011
By Chardonnai Johnson, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Golf legend Arnold Palmer once said: "The game has such a hold on golfers because they compete not only against an opponent, but also against the course, against par, and most surely - against themselves."
And that is nothing short of the truth in the case of Elyse Archambault and Katlyn Elliott, who were out practicing in the rain on the Penn State Golf Course this past Friday afternoon. Talk about dedication.
Archambault and Elliott are Penn State's newest additions to the women's golf team. Both hail from Canada and just began their freshman year at Penn State only a few weeks ago. Here's a look at their lives, different views from similar windows.
Elliott:
All it took was one visit to Penn State, one look at that golf course, one meeting with the golf team and her college decision was made said Elliott.
"I visited last October and I just saw the campus and I really could just picture myself here," said Elliott. "I liked the coach. I liked the academic program. It was just a perfect fit."
Elliott, a Peterborough, Ontario, Canada native, came to Penn State with a long list of accolades under her belt. She tallied a third place finish at last year's PGA Junior Series event with a 5-over par, 221, as well as third place finish at the 2010 Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls' Championship. It's surprising that she's only been playing competitively for a short while.
"This summer coming up will be my fourth competitive summer," said Elliott. "I haven't really been playing that long, but it's kind of nice because I know I can still get better. That's what I'm kind of excited about."
With as many achievements as Elliott has now, it's shocking, if not impressive, that she feels like she needs to get better. It's even more impressive that she plans to do this while studying Pre-Medicine.
"I'm pre-med right now. It's been a little tough," Elliott said. "I mean I knew it was going to be tough coming in, but I'm just trying to stay organized so I can stay on top of it."
When you're juggling a 17-and-a-half credit load, a college golf career, and life as a freshman, a little tough is a bit of an understatement. Pair that with being from another country and it could be the understatement of the year, but not for Elliott. She embraces challenge.
"It's in a different country, but it's really not that far," said Elliott. " It's far enough that you're away from home, but it's close enough that if my dad wanted to come, he could."
The short distance is a blessing in its own for Elliott. In accordance with her other responsibilities, the reality of only a six hour drive has shielded her from the biggest hurdle in the lives of most freshmen: getting homesick.
"I've been too busy to get homesick," said Elliott with a laugh. "With golf and pre-med, there's no time for that."
The freshman credits, her interest in golf to both her dad and the close proximity of a golf course in her neighborhood played a big role in her career path.
"My dad played, and we actually live down the road from a golf course," said Elliott." I just sort of went over with him and hacked around."
Although she played other competitive sports, Elliott said she got a different feeling about golf. She liked her other sports, but none of them gave her the feeling that golf did.
Golf wasn't exactly love at first sight though. She needed that extra something to fully fall head over heels for the sport. That was something was competition.
"When I started playing competitively, that's really what got me into it," she said with a smile and using her hands to emphasize the point. "It's just not the same just playing for fun. There needs to be that competitive edge."
Elliott wasn't just enticed by competition in golf, there were other aspects of the sport that attracted her. These aspects put golf on a pedestal that no other sport could touch, ultimately becoming convinced Elliott's passion.
"You control everything," she said. "You control how you play, how you react to shots. There are no referees out here. It's your job to call a penalty on your own stroke. That's what I love about it. It's so individual that you control everything that goes on."
Archambault:
Much Like Elliott, Archambault experienced that love at first sight feeling when she visited Penn State for the first time. Within minutes of arriving here for a visit, she had already decided to attend.
"I visited other schools, but this was really the best one," said Archambault. "All the golf facilities are really nice and the coaches are really nice. I just really liked the team when I came to visit too, so that was like a big part of my decision."
Archambault, a St. Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada native, came to Penn State with several achievements in golf. She holds the title of the No. 1 ranked golfer in Quebec and is the No. 16 ranked golfer nationally. Archambault even scored three victories in the 2010 East Coast Junior Championship, the Provincial Junior Championship, and the Provincial Junior Match Play Championship.
With triumphs like those so early in her golf career, it's no wonder that she's been playing the sport since childhood.
"Since I was 12 years old I've been doing tournaments," said Archambault. "So about seven years."
That's quite a bit of time, but unlike her teammate Elliott, Archambault wasn't even initially interested in golf.
"At first I wasn't that interested because it's a different sport," said Archambault. "There's not a lot of teenagers that play this, but when I started to play tournaments and got into beating myself and competing against me I just really liked it."
She played other sports in high school, but nothing compared to the way she felt about golf after a tournament. She said the sport is her biggest passion because it challenges her to improve herself.
"You need to beat yourself," said Archambault. "You're playing against people, but not really because you're the only factor that makes you win. If you don't win, it's kind of your fault, so you need to challenge yourself to be the best you can."
The older Archambault got, the more her fascination with the sport grew. She's at the point now where a professional career in golf is one of her biggest dreams she said.
"After my four years, I want to try to go pro," said Archambault smiling like a kid on Christmas day. "That would be my main goal."
Like any freshman, Archambault is in the process of exploring her academic major options. She is currently undecided on a major, but she said she's leaning towards majoring in business. She isn't sure exactly what she wants to do with that major, but she said she definitely wants to work for a big financial company.
On top of exploring her educational options, Archambault is also juggling living in a different country, a task that came easy for Elliott. It's tougher for Archambault who, hailing from a French Province, said she had a few worries about coming here.
"Where I'm from we speak French," said Archambault. "So that was a little bit scary that I have to speak English all the time. But my brother (Nick) is here and he showed me around and I feel more secure to know that he's here."
The 19-year-old also initially held an expectation of homesickness since her hometown wasn't close to the university. Luckily, she had yet to experience it. Her brother Nick is on the men's golf team.
"No homesickness yet," she said. "My brother is here and my parents are coming here next week, so I'm actually pretty good."
Archambault and Elliott may have different opinions certain experiences, but there's one thing that they both agree on: you have to work on everything else before a big tournament so that you play the best game you can.
"You have to look at the field, who's going to be there," said Archambault. "Just think about everything, work on everything until you get there so that when you play you feel confident and play your best."
Elliott also felt that way.
"Look at the course, know where you're going," she said. "That way you can just stay present and play."