Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

North Myrtle Beach golfer Tara Lyons doesn't rest on laurels

NMB senior hopes practice makes perfect as state tourney starts

Five continuous hours of practice, regardless of the activity, sure sounds monotonous and inane.

Yet to hear Tara Lyons explain it, the toiling seems reasonable, maybe even enjoyable.

It all has to do with an iPod and goals.

Five hours of practice is not only something Lyons has achieved, it has become commonplace for the North Myrtle Beach High senior.

The dedication has helped her earn a scholarship offer from one of the top 25 women's college golf programs in the nation and placed her among the favorites in the Class AAA state championship today and Tuesday at Quail Creek Golf Club at Coastal Carolina.

"It's really not that boring," Lyons explained. "If you have like your iPod on when you're chipping, you can chip and practice so many different shots for like two or three hours and not get bored. Then it takes like an hour and a half to work on your putting the way you really need to, then you get to the swing."

Lyons has lowered her scoring average in nine-hole high school matches from 38.9 last season to nearly even-par 36 this year and is on her way to a second consecutive Sun News Toast of the Coast Golfer of the Year honor.

"She's worked real hard for everything she's gotten so far and I think she'll continue to do that," said Chiefs girls golf coach David Small.

It looks like she'll be doing it in Kentucky for the next four years. Lyons intends to sign a national letter of intent in the coming days to attend the University of Louisville, which is ranked No. 24 in the country by Golfweek magazine. It is the highest-ranked program recruiting Lyons, she likes the campus and coach Kelly Rothberg, and she wants to move away from the area to experience something new.

Lyons decided early in the season she would attend Louisville and join the program's other two expected signees from Sweden and Germany.

"After I decided on what college I was going to go to I kind of relaxed a little bit and wasn't too worried about my score, and I guess that helped a little bit," she said.

Besides hard work, natural ability and a purpose from the heart have contributed to Lyons' development.

She has been playing for only four years, but has been around the game all her life. Her father, Raymond, was an avid golfer who moved the family from Washington state to the Grand Strand in 1989 in part, Lyons says, because of the area's golf offerings.

She played for a short time with him recreationally and in a junior league, but she quit shortly after her father and mother, Michelle, bought her a new set of clubs.

"He always really wanted me to play golf," Lyons said, "because when I was little he always said I had so much talent. But, I mean, that's just what every parent says.

"I really didn't like golf when I was little. I didn't mind watching but I didn't want to play. It was hot and I didn't like carrying my golf bag. So he didn't push me. I guess I'm glad he didn't push me, otherwise I probably wouldn't like it as much."

It wasn't until after her father was diagnosed with bile duct cancer that he would eventually succumb to in October of her freshman year that Lyons became immersed in golf. She discovered she enjoyed it after hitting balls with a friend using one of the many sets in her garage.

"I don't think him passing away makes me play golf, but I know that he's watching and I know he'd be proud of me, so I guess that does give me a little bit more drive," Lyons said. "But that's obviously not the whole reason I play golf. You can't just do it for one person, you have to do it for yourself."

Although Lyons has received lessons from area teaching pro Mike Schroder twice a month for the past couple years, she absorbed knowledge about the game and swing by attending many of her older brother Sam's junior tournaments. Sam, a senior on the Coastal Carolina men's golf team, has had clubs since he was 2 and recently won his first collegiate event - The McLaughlin at the Bethpage Red Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.

"I guess I watched golf so much when I was growing up that you kind of just figure out how to play," Lyons said. "You figure out the rules and watch the swing so much it kind of gets ingrained in your head."

It turns out her father wasn't exaggerating about her innate ability.

"Athletically she's very talented. She's a phenom," Small said. "When I first saw her hit the ball I thought, 'Where she can be in four years.' You could just tell."

Her power off the tee has always been an advantage. She was driving the ball up to 250 yards last year after lifting weights regularly, but she's neglected the workouts this year. "I'm not hitting it as far I've realized," she said. "I've lost a good 10 to 15 yards. If I get back to the gym then maybe I'll start beasting it past everybody again."

Lyons dived into golf when she settled on it to develop skills that would complement her power. She gave up horse riding, which she did - sometimes competitively - for seven years, and soccer, which she played at the varsity level as a freshman, because they cut into her practice time.

She practices and plays five to eight hours a day on weekends and in the summer, and an early release from school allows Lyons to practice up to four hours a day on weekdays.

"It gives me discipline," she said. "I probably would be doing a lot of other stuff if I didn't just go out and practice for five hours a day every day."

Lyons has won multiple tournaments on both the Eastern Junior Golf Association and National Junior Golf Association circuits, and is a two-time Region VII-AAA titlist, shooting an even-par 36 in the rain-shortened region championship Oct. 12 by holing out a 95-yard shot on her final hole at Eagle Nest Golf Club.

"It's unbelievable how quick she caught on," Small said, "and she's put in a lot of time; she's put in the extra mile."