���I���ve come so far since I really
started to play competitively and
at such a high level,������ Dinh said of
her overall growth. ���Even the past
summer or two, I���ve seen my
game significantly improve.������
first time in her UW career.
���It was definitely a confidence booster just knowing that I can go out and compete with the best,������
said Dinh, who also learned that ���I can rely on my
swing������ in a clutch situation.
Especially, she added, ���When it comes down to
crunch time when Minnesota was making a run.
But we were able to put up numbers and still play
consistently and stay ahead by making good shots.������
That entailed making good putts and birdies
as the Badgers held off the runner-up Gophers to
claim the team title. Lindsay Danielson supported
Dinh and Yoo by finishing in a tie for ninth place.
Danielson, a senior from Osceola, Wis., earned
Big Ten Golfer of the Week recognition last fall after
winning the Hoosier Invitational with a 3-under
par 213, tying the school record for 54 holes.
How far has Dinh traveled? She ended up in a tie
for 31st in the same event with a 234 total.
���I���ve come so far since I really started to play
competitively and at such a high level,������ Dinh said
of her overall growth. ���Even the past summer or
two, I���ve seen my game significantly improve.������
As a result, she has been getting more out of her
rounds and shooting lower scores. ���More than anything on the golf course, she has great hands and
touch,������ said UW women���s coach Todd Oehrlein.
There has also been a degree of perseverance
during the earlier stages of her development, particularly because her junior career was solid but
not special.
���It wasn���t at a point,������ Oehrlein said, ���where you
would expect her to come in and have the success
that she���s having right away the college level.������
Nonetheless, it has taken some time for those
pieces to fall into place.
���When she started last year,������ Oehrlein said, ���there
were some bumps along the way. But to her credit,
she stayed persistent, patient and worked really
hard; a credit to the type of character she has.������
Her confidence has wavered at times. ���I really
struggled with a lot of ball striking and consistency,������ she admitted. ���As that has gone better, it has
been a lot easier to play.
���I���ve always been confident in my putting. Even if
my ball striking was somewhat off, I could get upand-down and it saves a lot of strokes.������
Acknowledged Oehrlein, ���She���s got a great short
game.������
Dinh got started in golf when she was about 7 on
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