Narrowed focus
A closer look at the leader of FC's women's golf team
By Caroline Thomas, September 18, 2009
Recruited to Franklin College to play basketball, she came to play soft ball and ended up playing golf. Natalie Daugherty doesn’t remember the first time she played golf. Competitively she’s been at it since grade eight, when her competitors were mostly boys.
While attending Switzerland County High School in Vevay, Indiana, Natalie was a well rounded athlete playing volleyball, softball, basketball and golf all four years.
“Softball was my best sport,” said Natalie. “I came here to play… I played my freshman year.”
Her collegiate athletic plan was to play softball and golf. She hoped to approach golf as a “fun” sport or free lessons from Women’s Golf coach Roger Lundy, named 2nd in U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 instructors honor in 2005 and 2006. But she enjoyed it enough to be an FC golfer, exclusively, which is no wonder because she is 20 strokes better than her freshman year.
Besides athletics, Natalie’s interest in FC was close to home. Her grandfather, also a golfer, and a close friend from home were both alumni. Natalie visited both her junior and senior year and didn’t bother visiting anywhere else.
Natalie’s biggest motivator is her dad, Rob, who principally taught her to play the game. She said after a good shot she can look at her dad and get the “fist pump.”
“He is very comforting and supportive,” said Natalie. “He calls me after every tournament… it’s sort of a ritual.”
Her father is the expert but her mother, Cathy, attends every tournament right along with him giving Natalie the thumbs up when she is doing well and a hug when she doesn’t do her best. Other family members attend as well and a regular attendee is her sister, Jenna Daugherty, but not simply as an observer. Jenna is a freshman this year at FC and plays golf as well.
Growing up together Natalie said they didn’t play sports together a lot that sibling rivalry would get in the way. Each of them is very busy and has limited time to spend with the other.
“I see her at practice and I eat lunch with her sometimes, but I respect she needs freshman friends,” said Natalie.
They do have one weekly appointment together to watch their favorite show One Tree Hill together.
Academically, Natalie hopes to make the dean’s list her last two semesters. As a history major she wants to be hired, eventually, by a museum but before that she must complete a year of grad school at the University of Cincinnati. This being her senior year Natalie says it would be pretty had to quit playing golf “cold turkey” and plans on competing in amateur tournaments.
The Women’s Golf team has competed in three tournaments so far and this week played and the University of Kentucky Club where their conference will be held. The season contains six tournaments over six weekends. Natalie hopes to get to the national tournament this season.
Her biggest fear in golf is breaking the rules, she hates getting points added for a “stupid mistake,” but the best part of her game is her driver, where she feels the “most comfortable.” Many of her goals are still in the works but one will stay with her for a while.
“I’m not dying ‘til I get a hole in one.”
“I’m not dying ‘til I get a hole in one.”
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