DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Distractions are usually something a golfer tries to avoid. Serious players compete with blinders on, doing their best to block outside influences. And here at the final stage of LPGA Q-School, where the drama and pressure are as thick as the humid Central Florida air, tunnel vision is key.
But for third-year Futures Tour player Jeanne Cho, distractions are keeping her mind at ease.
Cho got married Nov. 18 to fiancee Brian Hunicke. Instead of focusing solely on her third Q-School attempt, Cho spent time tying up loose ends for the wedding. Golf, for once, was not her primary focus.
"Normally golf is always the priority," said Cho, who, among other things, hand-made wedding invitations for her 115 guests. "But this time I really dedicated my energy to my engagement to Brian because it's such a special time in my life."
And through three rounds at LPGA International, Cho's relaxed attitude is paying off. She carded a third-round 72 Dec. 1 on a wind-swept Legends Course and sits in a seven-way tie for 13th place at 1 under par. The top 15 after five rounds will receive exempt LPGA Tour cards and the next 35 will get conditional cards.
Cho, who three-putted her final hole at last year's Q-School to miss the 72-hole cut by a stroke, had trouble getting any birdie putts to drop Friday. And with each attempt skimming past the hole, it was tough to tell who was affected more by the missed putts.
"She just can't buy anything today," Hunicke said, shaking his head as he followed his wife Friday.
If anyone knows Cho's game, it's her husband. At the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, Cho was assigned an inexperienced caddie who quit after two practice rounds. A complete stranger at the time, Hunicke stepped in as her replacement.
"We hit it off right away," said Cho. "We were friends immediately."
With Hunicke on the bag, Cho advanced through stroke-play qualifying. A tight bond was quickly forming. Each day the pair ate lunch together and when not talking golf, shared stories about each other's families. But when Cho was defeated in the quarterfinals, Hunicke wasn't sure he would see her again.
"I fell in love with her that week," he said. "She even let me read all of her putts."
The pair exchanged phone numbers and the following week, Hunicke met Cho, a recent University of Florida grad at the time, in Gainesville for a round of golf. Sparks flew from the soles of their titanium drivers.
Two-and-a-half years later, in December 2005, Hunicke took Cho back to where they met, Ocean Hammock Golf Club, the site of the '03 Publinx. Playing with an engagement ring in his pocket until they reached the par-3 17th hole, Hunicke proposed to Cho on the green over-looking the Atlantic Ocean.
"I had no idea he was going to do it," Cho said. "When he got down on his knee and started proposing, I couldn't even hear him. I was in so much shock."
To make the moment even more memorable, Hunicke had squared their friendly match moments earlier, making a tricky birdie putt to Cho's surprise.
"She went from being so mad that I tied the match to, 'Holy crap, he's proposing to me,' " Hunicke said.
This summer, Hunicke caddied for Cho three times, including her best finish of the year, a T-5 at the Futures Tour's Greater Tampa Classic. The pair leave next weekend for a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii. It will be Hunicke's first trip to the island, but her second. Cho competed in The Golf Channel's "Big Break V: Hawaii" last year where she finished second to Ashley Prange. The newlyweds have a tee time a week from Monday at the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
"If I didn't have these other distractions, I would be thinking about Q-School too much," Cho said. "That's what I do every year and I haven't been successful. But this time I have a positive distraction."
With so much going on in Cho's life, she got sick last week and was forced to spend the first week of married life resting and recuperating for this week's Q-School. She said her illness was a blessing, that the relaxation was well-needed in the midst of such a hectic time of her life.
"Outside of golf, I'm just really happy," she said. "I know my husband loves me. It's just an exciting time in my life. It can only be a positive thing for my golf game."
The best wedding present now could only be a LPGA card.
By DAN MIROCHA
Assistant Editor |
