University of Tennessee Athletics
Q&A WITH MARCI TURNER
February 21, 2005 | Women's Golf
Feb. 21, 2005
What is the difference between high school and college golf?
I guess actually competing a lot as a team. I would go with my team in high school but I knew we didn't have that great of a chance at winning. My coach was with me, encouraging me to win the tournament and not worry about playing for the team. Here, you can't play for yourself or you are letting four other people down. It's a lot more pressure.
Did you expect to be in the top five when you got here?
I expected to compete for that. I wanted to be in the top five but I knew that it was going to be hard with nine people on the team. If I did make it, I wanted to help the team. I didn't want to feel like I was a burden on them.
How have Judi (Pavon) and Carrie (Cole) helped you since you arrived on campus?
They made me feel really comfortable. They haven't worked a lot with my swing because I have a teacher at home and I haven't really asked them. I know that they would if I asked them too. They're also friends. I can talk to them as a friend, Judi the mother figure and Carrie is like a big sister. I feel comfortable talking to them about any problems I'm having, golf or anything else.
What is a typical week of practice like?
Last semester it was pretty much three days at the range, two days playing. This semester is going to be a little different. I think she's going to have more areas of focus. Certain days are going to be focused on the freshman, other times sophomores etc. It's going to be a lot more structured this semester because we have goals to accomplish.
What are your individual goals going into the spring?
Ultimately I want to be SEC freshman of the year so in order to do that I want to get top 15 finishes, some top 10 finishes in weaker fields. I want to impact the team and help them in every tournament.
Have the team talked about its goals for the spring?
We all want to win a tournament. We came so close in the fall a few times so we just want to put ourselves in good positions and hang on.
What has been your favorite moment at Tennessee?
I have to say the Mercedes because my family came down. It was my first top-10 finish. The team didn't play so well the first day but we came back and had a really strong finish.
You played for your high school team from fourth grade on, any thoughts on that?
It's a very very small area. There's not a big interest in women's golf. My grandparents started taking me out and I really enjoyed it. The golf coach saw me play one day when I was like 9 and asked me to practice with the team because it would help my game. Surprisingly, I made the team.
What was it like serving as a captain of the team for eight of those nine years in high school?
Well our captain at the school was based on who was the best player, but I didn't really tell them to do that much. They were a foot taller than me and seven or eight years older so I wasn't in a position to do that. It was fun. They respected me more than they would a normal 10 year old.
When did you first start playing?
I played when I was probably four or five years old. My grandparents took me out to the course and I played in some tournaments when I was seven and was really intrigued.
What are your goals beyond golf?
I would like to go to med school. I want to be an oncologist. My dad passed away from cancer 11 years ago so I would like to help with research for cancer treatment.
