All golfers have starts like this, but few get the opportunity to have them on a course so perfect it nearly defies their belief.
Christyn Carr of North Carolina A&T, Tori Smith of the U.S. Naval Academy and Taylor Harvey of Prairie View A&M each struggled early in the opening round of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup at The Alotian Club in Roland on Monday.
"It's a beautiful course," Smith said. "Honestly, it looks like a picture. It doesn't even look real, but I love the course."
At first, no one seemed more out of place than Carr. She, Smith, and Harvey began their first round on The Alotian's back nine, 35 holes away from their first-day finish on the women's 6,367-yard par-72 course. Seven holes into her round, Carr was 9-over par.
"I was maybe a little nervous coming into it," Carr said. "It was a little cold. I love this sport, and I always try really hard when I'm in an event on a scale like this, and I'm sure that played a part in my start."
Carr thought for a moment before she attempted to explain what happened next, a birdie out of the cold blue morning to start a remarkable turnaround. She birdied the 465-yard par-5 17th and went on to play the final 11 holes of her round in 3-over-par. In retrospect, her 12-over 84 for the round left her uncharacteristically pleased.
"After I made that birdie, it just gave me a boost of confidence," she said. "I said, 'I'm just going to go out, and I'm going to swing. Wherever it goes, I'm just going to go to my next shot.' "
Carr finished the day with an afternoon round of 81 (21-over 165). Smith and Harvey had similar turnarounds with rounds of 86 and 83 (25-over 169), and 93 and 85 (34-over 178), respectively.
They all seemed amazed by the aesthetics of their surroundings and the challenge presented.
"Before we played, someone said, 'Every time you play a hole, turn around, look back, and take it all in,' " Carr said. "I would do it, and I was like, 'Wow. I am never going to play a course like this.' Even if I double-bogeyed, I would turn around because it is so pretty, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Smith said The Alotian was undoubtedly the most difficult course she had played.
"But all you can do is just hit the best shot you can, and wherever it ends up, it ends up," she said.
Harvey agreed.
"Listen, I've played at Pebble Beach, and this course beats it by a billion in terms of difficulty," she said. "My goal for [today] is going to be to have fun, to accept the fact that the score does not define me as a golfer. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be here."
Despite their opening response to the challenge, which included tears, these representatives of and ambassadors for U.S. military academies and historically Black colleges and universities, seemed at all times delighted by their shared chance.
They joked and laughed throughout.
Late in the second round, Carr hit a 270-yard drive moments after she ran her downhill birdie putt 10 feet past the pin and bogeyed the par-3 16th green.
"I smoked it," she said to North Carolina A&T assistant coach Sara Ruiz.
Ruiz smiled.
"That was good," she said. "That's when you're supposed to smoke it."
"Right," Carr said. "On the tee box, not on the green."
Smith said good company made the day worthwhile.
"My group got me through that round," she said. "We were all laughing about it because we would hit a good shot and just catch a bad break every single hole."
"If we weren't playing together, because we were all struggling, I don't know where we would've ended up," Carr said.
Carr, Smith, and Harvey each said they hoped to break 80 for their final rounds today. They are scheduled to tee off as the day's opening women's threesome at 1 p.m.
"To break 80 is the goal," Smith said. "Honestly, that's the only goal."