Tag: juli inkster award

Natalie Srinivasan named inaugural Juli Inkster Senior Award winner

Natalie Srinivasan keeps adding to her postseason awards tally, most recently with the Julie Inkster Award.

The last leg of Natalie Srinivasan’s postseason awards sweep is perhaps the most telling of all. The Spartanburg, South Carolina, player found a perfect fit at Furman four years ago and has helped to bring the Paladins back to the top of college golf. For that commitment, Srinivasan has been named the first recipient of the Juli Inkster Award Presented by WorkDay.

The award, created this year, recognizes the highest ranked women’s collegiate golfer in her final year of NCAA eligibility. It rewards a college golfer who honors her commitment to her college team, as Srinivasan has.

Srinivasan already has Symetra Tour status lined up for the rest of the year. The Inkster Award comes with an exemption into the next Cambia Portland Classic (currently scheduled for Sept. 17-20). She will also have the opportunity to spend time with Inkster during a two-day mentorship retreat.

With so much up in the air thanks to COVID-19, tournament exemptions are particularly important as Srinivasan launches her pro career. For winning the ANNIKA Award, she receiving an exemption into the Evian Championship, an LPGA major.

Related: Natalie Srinivasan brings Furman to the forefront as ANNIKA Award winner

Five players (three of whom were seniors) turned professional at the halfway point of the season after securing either LPGA status or Symetra Tour status at the LPGA Q-Series in November. Srinivasan stayed in Greenville. She won three times in the six starts she made during this pandemic-shortened season.

Srinivasan’s name continues to go down with some of the game’s greats, from Sorenstam and now to Inkster. Her game grew exponentially at Furman, a place that also churned out players like Betsy King, Beth Daniel and Dottie Pepper.

Head coach Jeff Hull said Srinivasan wasn’t the kind of outgoing player who would loudly rally the troops, but her example was invaluable for her teammates.

“She works on the parts of her game that she needs to work on,” Hull said. “She always has a plan for practice and for tournaments. She plays like a professional.”

Hull said her interaction with teammates was often one-on-one. Srinivasan made it clear she wanted to help and be a resource.

Srinivasan was the top player in Golfstat’s rankings when the season ended and ranked No. 4 by Golfweek.

The Juli Inkster Senior Award was also presented at the NCAA Division II and III levels. Tampa’s Kiira Riihijarvi was the Division II recipient while Alyssa Akiyama of Carleton won the Division III award.

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Q&A: Juli Inkster on college golf and the new award that bears her name

Golfweek caught up with Juli Inkster and asked her a few questions about college golf and the new award that bears her name.

It’s tough to think of a more beloved figure in the women’s game than Juli Inkster. Before she was an LPGA Hall of Famer and Solheim Cup legend, Inkster enjoyed an extraordinary amateur career. In addition to her three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur titles, she won 17 times in college at San Jose State.

The new Juli Inkster Senior Award speaks not only to the quality of a player’s game, but her level of commitment too. The award will be presented to the highest ranked women’s college golfer, as determined by Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, who is in her final year of NCAA eligibility.

The winner will receive a sponsor exemption into the Cambia Portland Classic as well as the chance to spend two days with Inkster during a mentorship retreat.

With so many top-ranked players leaving school mid-season to turn professional, Inkster’s award couldn’t be timelier.

“If I can get one kid to stay in school for another semester,” she said, “it’s great.”

Golfweek recently caught up with Inkster to talk about the award and her time as a Spartan:

GW: What does the essence of the award mean to you? Why is it important?

JI: I think when these universities give these kids a chance at an education and a commitment to their teammates … you know a lot of these universities have a great shot at winning a national championship and then their top studs leave, and I don’t blame them for leaving, it’s just part of the situation, but you go from trying to win a national championship to just trying to fill a roster.

You only have four years to win a national championship, that you can never look back on and try to get back. I think everybody’s always looking at the long-term picture instead of the short-term picture. The LPGA is always going to be there. I just think to have a chance to win a national championship, not only for your university but for your teammates that are still there, that’s kind of why I did it.

GW: What was the most important thing you learned in college?

JI: I learned a lot about myself. Time management – school and golf. Just being a good teammate. Trying to win a national championship. And it was fun. I had fun. College was fun.

GW: Complete this sentence: Back when I was in college…

JI: We never had to work out. I know that much.

You know, it wasn’t as structured as it is now. We didn’t have a time limit on practice. Our coach knew that we were going to practice, so if we didn’t want to go hit balls and we wanted to play, we could do that. If we didn’t want to putt and we just wanted to hit balls, we could do that. … And, I would have to say, we played an amazing schedule. We played against the best teams. That’s because our coach was a great fundraiser, and we had good teams. I never felt short-changed competition-wise. It’s definitely a lot more structured than it was back then.

GW: You’re going to spend a little time with the winner. What are some pearls of wisdom that you plan to pass along?

JI: I think there’s a lot of questions. I’ve talked a lot with Albane Valenzuela and Andrea Lee. Just on tour life, caddies, trying to work out a schedule. Playing in Monday pro-ams versus not playing in Monday pro-ams. Just trying to be yourself and not trying to be anybody else out there. … It’s more just about hanging out, playing some golf, having some dinners. It’s not going to be school. It’s going to be fun. Hopefully get to know them and let them know that I will always be there for them if they ever need anything.

GW: You won 17 times in college. Which victory stands out the most?

JI: I can’t remember any of them. (laughs) The one I know I didn’t win was the NCAAs, and that one kind of gnaws at me because I had a good chance.

GW: Do you think more players need to stay four years in college golf?

JI: It’s hard. I get why these girls leave. I know they probably get a lot of pressure from their parents, and they feel like they’re ready. But what’s one more semester? Depending on what your number is, if you get a high number at qualifying school and you’re getting into everything that’s different. But if you got a lower number and you’re only going to get in one or two tournaments, why not just stay? I just think if you commit to the university, you should stay four years.