Editor’s Note: NCAA Individual Golf Champion Austin Ernst of LSU was honored in her hometown Wednesday night of Seneca, S.C., at the Cross Creek Plantation where her Dad is a PGA professional. Eric Sprott of the Seneca Journal provided this story to LSUsports.net.
By Eric Sprott
The Journal
SENECA, S.C. – Looking back on her formative years on the AJGA circuit, Austin Ernst couldn’t think of a single time that the presence of her family had any sort of negative effect on her golf game.
A two-time Rolex All-American, with a pair of victories to go along with eight top-five finishes during her high school years, the former Seneca High School star is certain her parents never threw any sort of jinx on her.
“I don’t think so, because they were always there,” Ernst said.
Either way, her mother, Melanie, wasn’t about to chance it as the LSU freshman tore through the field at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship last week on the way to claming the individual national championship.
With a second-round score of 66 last Thursday – good for six-under par – Ernst was the only player to break 70 that day, setting the stage for her title run and guaranteeing her parents would hold tight in Seneca, rather than heading down to the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas.
“Melanie is superstitious, and she was planning for us to go out on Friday and Saturday, and it worked after she shot the 66 in the Thursday round, we were still kind of fishing for plane tickets,” her father, Mark Ernst, said. “But, she said, ‘Let’s just stay here.’
“But then she and I were alternating refreshing the computer on Saturday every five minutes even though we know it takes 15 minutes.”
Bouncing back from a third-round 77 – largely a product of two triple bogies – to fire a final-round 66 on Saturday to claim the title, Ernst didn’t even know about her parents’ decision to stay home until after the tournament was over.
“She didn’t want to jinx it, so they stayed at home,” Ernst said. “It wasn’t a shock, but it would have been nice if they were there. But, I had my team there, so that was still nice.”
On Wednesday, with her national championship trophy in tow, Ernst returned home with a reception at her home course, Cross Creek Plantation, where Mark is the club professional and Director of Golf Operations.
With her brother Drew – a member of the Coastal Carolina golf team – also in attendance, Ernst finally got a chance to celebrate the victory with her family after their absence at the tournament.
“It’s great,” Ernst said. “I always love coming home, and I came home to all my family, and my mom made me a sign that she put on the front porch, so it’s always good to be back.”
Of course, Ernst finished the 72-hole tournament with a 7-under 281, as she became the first LSU women’s golfer to win the title in the 32-year history of the Lady Tigers’ program and the first golfer in school history regardless of gender to win the national crown since 1941.
The first freshman in the nation to take the individual championship since 1998, Ernst was not surprisingly honored by Golfweek on Wednesday as the National Player of the Week, while she’s also been named a first-team All-American.
And to win the national title as freshman, Ernst said her age never weighed on her mind at any point during her four-day run to the title.
“Winning it as a freshman, and winning it any time, is a big deal,” Ernst said. “But as a freshman, everybody’s been telling you it’s not supposed to happen. But after that first 66, the ball doesn’t know how old you are.”
And with three years to go at the collegiate level, Ernst will have a lot to live up to, as she set a mighty precedent to close out her freshman campaign.
“She has, and I think the expectations are high,” Mark said. “She’s always been an achiever. I definitely believe this will push her to an even greater plateau, and I really believe the sky’s the limit.”
And that’s with or without her parents on the course with her.