Play the game to make a name

The field is wide open for unknown golfers.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- Meet Laura Myerscough. She's 24. She's a rookie. And she's ranked 147th on the LPGA money list with $8,097.
She's talented. She's likable. She's got a promising career.
And, unless you're a golf junkie, you've never heard of her.
"That's OK," she said. "Being on tour isn't glamorous for everybody."
There are two ways of looking at this year's Giant Eagle LPGA Classic field.
One way is to joke about the lack of big names.
The other is to focus on who is here, to appreciate the chance to see the tour's future stars before they're stars.
"You might not have all the big names here this week, but for us, this is a chance to play well and maybe get a first-time win," Myerscough said. "We're just trying to move up the money list."
Cashed out
Ah yes, the money list. The top 17 players on the money list aren't here. Only one of the top 20 -- Pat Hurst -- is here. (And, with all due respect to Hurst, nobody is going to pay $15 a day to watch her golf.)
Only 13 of the top 50 money winners are here.
Thirty-four of this year's golfers have won less than $10,000 in their careers. Eighty-six (more than half) have won less than $30,000.
It's a veritable Who's Who of Who's She?
"Last week, I was walking on the ninth green [at the Canadian Open] and I made a putt and somebody thought I was Natalie Gulbis," Myerscough said. "They said 'Nice shot, Natalie' and I was like, 'Oh, thank you.'
"They can call me Natalie. That's OK by me."
This year's field does have a few big names (Rachel Teske, Beth Bauer and Tammie Green, to name three).
It also has long names (Russamee Gulyanamitta), funny names (Soo Young Moon -- not to be mistaken for Soo Young Kim, who is also here) and no-names. (You mean to tell me you haven't heard of Kelly Lagedrost?).
Pearl Sinn-Bonanni? Wait, wait, wait. Wasn't she one of the finalists to become the men's basketball coach at Ohio State?
The way up
Jokes aside, even the lowest-ranked golfers are still hilariously better than almost everyone else on the planet. They use tournaments like this one to move up, make some money and make a name for themselves.
Like most golfers on tour, Myerscough relies on sponsors to help with the travel costs. She lives with her parents in Phoenix in the off-season and lives with host families at tournaments.
"One of the biggest things I struggle with is self-image," said Myerscough, who went from being an All-American at Arizona to being a struggling rookie. "If I miss the cut, that shouldn't affect my self-worth. Just because I didn't make the cut this week doesn't mean I'm not a good golfer. It just means I didn't play good golf this week."
A few weeks ago, she had 17 pars in one round. On the other hole, she made nine. It was one of the most misleading 77s in history.
"I hate real-time scoring," Myerscough said with a laugh. "My mom was like, 'I thought they might have put the six upside down.' Nope. I hit into the water twice. What are you gonna do?"
Myerscough has played in 13 tournaments this year, including seven straight. She's only made the cut twice -- including a tie for 48th last week when she earned a career-high $5,196.
Hey, it's a start.
"You know what? This has been my dream since I was 13 and I was starting to play in tournaments," she said. "I didn't want to look back and regret not giving it a chance.
"And I'm having a blast. I love traveling and I love meeting new people. You build a lot of friendships with the girls on tour because a lot of us are so young. You get to build friendships with people from around the world, instead of just someone from high school."
And, from a reporter's standpoint, it's a lot more fun to interview someone like Myerscough than someone like Annika Sorenstam, who has been interviewed every day for the past five years.
(Sorenstam, for the record, is very nice.)
Drawbacks
The drawback, of course, is that you don't know who you're interviewing. (Maybe they should start handing out "Hello, My Name Is" stickers.) And fans don't know who they're watching.
Carmen Hajjar? Joellyn Erdmann-Crooks? Cindy Figg-Currier? They're not even household names in their own household.
When last year's champion, Rachel Teske, called tournament officials to ask what time the event started, they answered, "What time can you get here?"
Dreaming big
There are 25 rookies at this week's tournament. Some will make it. Some won't. But the thing is, unless you're Michelle Wie, every golfer on tour starts out as a no-name. Nobody plans on staying that way.
"We all dream big," Myerscough said.
But it takes time to develop your game and it takes patience to deal with some of the bumps in the road.
Myerscough loves the travel, but she hates the packing. She loves meeting new people, but she sometimes misses home. She loves playing against the best, but she hates losing.
"It's all about having a sense of belonging," she said. "I went from being a top college player and a top amateur player to the major leagues. It's intense, it's nerve-wracking, but the only way to get better is to play against the best."
And, if all goes well, you eventually start beating the best.
"I don't want to just be here for a few years," Myerscough said. "I want to win major championships, I want to be Annika Sorenstam. That's what everyone wants. But you have to be committed and you have to want to do it."
Keep your eyes open this week. A few years ago at this tournament, an unknown rookie named Dorothy Delasin became the LPGA's youngest first-time winner in 25 years.
It could happen again. Last year's tournament had a field of dreams. This year's tournament has a field of dreamers.
And that's OK too.
scalzo@vindy.com