By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

EUGENE, Ore. ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" As a mid-year enrollee from Italy in 2013, Laura Lonardi would typically let a bad hole ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" sometimes, even one bad shot ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" mess up the rest of her day.

"She would let a bad shot affect her the whole day," Baylor coach Jay Goble said. "She'd keep it all day."

Nothing speaks to the growth in her game and maturity than what Lonardi did at the NCAA Bryan Regional two weeks ago, when she bogeyed the first three holes and recovered to shoot 1-under 71 She birdied three holes on a bogey-free back nine and moved up to a tie for fifth at 4-under 212, earning an individual berth for the NCAA Championship that starts Friday in Eugene, Ore.

"I don't think I would have been able to bogey the first three and be in the position I was and still be able to shoot 1-under when I first came here," said Lonardi, who tees off at 2:55 p.m. CDT in Friday's opening round at Eugene Country Club. "But that's part of growing. All the support we have here at Baylor helps you get better at what you have to get better at. And that is definitely one of the things I had to get better at."

Goble said it shows her improved maturity level, "but that also shows confidence in yourself and belief in yourself."

The mental part is arguably more important in golf than any other sport. If you don't believe in yourself, forget it.

"When I first got here, I remember being 2-under and just hoping I stay here, hoping I don't screw up," she said. "Dr. (David) Cook, our sports psychologist, helped me out so much in that. And definitely having Jay on the bag has helped me out a lot. You just keep going. You hit every shot as good as you can and see where it goes."

Just like the regional tournament, Lonardi is in the unique position of playing by herself. After a national runner-up finish a year ago, the Baylor women's team didn't earn an NCAA regional berth, leaving Lonardi to fend for herself.

A typically fast-paced golfer, Lonardi slowed down to a snail's pace in the opening round at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas, shooting a 3-over-par 75 that left her tied for 46th and squinting to see the top of the leader board.

Former Baylor All-American Hayley Davis, who tied for 10th at the national tournament two years ago, talked to Lonardi about not slowing down her rhythm while over-analyzing every shot.

"That was one of the biggest differences between the first round and the other rounds was we were a little less analytical," she said. "I'm a quick player, so I don't need to take so much time. That was something that Jay and (assistant coach Ryan Ashburn) and Hayley helped me figure out."

While the 24 participating teams will be trying to advance to match play that begins Tuesday, Lonardi's focus is on 72 holes of stroke play and potentially winning an individual national title. Baylor's highest-ever finish at the national tournament came last year, when freshman Dylan Kim shot 5-under 67 and placed fourth at even-par 288.

"I'm not the kind of person that sets goals like I want to be in the top 10, the top five, top 20, whatever," said Lonardi, who ranks 25th nationally with a 72.37-stroke average that is just off Davis' school record of 72.32 set last year. "My goal is just to practice really hard and give myself the best chance to do whatever I have in the bag.

"Golf is a weird sport. You can go out there and do awesome, or you can go out there and not play your best, even if you practice so hard. So, I'm not going to set any goals, results-wise. I just want to do my best and really enjoy it, because it's my last tournament at Baylor."

Live scoring for the tournament is available at www.golfstat.com.