Gerry's hard work pays off
October 03, 2008 | Women's Golf
It is safe to say that Jessie Gerry, a freshman on the Wisconsin women's golf team, is not having an average debut season so far. After just a few months of collegiate play, Gerry has won a tournament and set tournament and school records.
She competed as an individual in the 2008 Badger Invitational on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, taking home a first place tournament finish and setting tournament records for 18 and 36 holes. On top of that, she set a school record for 36 holes and also tied the school record for 18 holes. Days later, Gerry is still having high emotions regarding the victory.
'I am still in shock and I am still trying to soak it all in.' Gerry said. 'It was an amazing weekend and a dream come true. I had set goals to win a tournament at some point in the year and I didn't think it would happen that soon. It is just such an amazing feeling.'
As a Madison native, her success at the 2008 Badger Invitational had extra meaning. She was able to have a large fan base to cheer her on during the course of the weekend at University Ridge Golf Course.
'My parents, brother, aunts and uncle, and my old coach from high school all came to see me play. It made the win even more special to have all of their support throughout the entire weekend.'
Gerry has had a lot of support throughout her entire golf career which is a credit to her success. There were several people that influenced her throughout the progression of her golf game and still continue to influence her.
'First of all, my dad.' Gerry said. 'Ever since I picked up a golf ball'even when I couldn't get the ball off the ground, he was there. My family friends, Stan Utley and David Cook, coached me not only on the physical aspects of golf, but my mental golf game as well. Coach Oehrlein and Coach Murphy here at Wisconsin are great people and they know so much about the game. Even the short time I have been here I have learned so much from them.'
It is quite apparent that the old saying, 'hard work pays off' holds true for Gerry.
'Her success is a result of how hard she works,' Oehrlein said. 'She has put in a lot of effort and focused on what she's doing. She worked extra hard this summer. When she came into the fall she was very ready to go. It 's exciting to see her success so far and I'm really happy for her. '
Before becoming a Badger, Gerry played prep golf at Abundant Life Christian School, but she had a bit of a different experience than most high school varsity girls golfers. The boy's golf coach at Abundant Life Christian, Roger Kollmansberger, opened the door to her high school career.
'We didn't have a girls' team at my high school and I asked him if I could try it.' Gerry said. 'He really introduced me to the game of golf. He was always really supportive of me and believed in me throughout the entire process.'
Despite having played four years of high school golf with boys, the transition into playing collegiate women's golf hasn't been too much of an issue for Gerry.
'To be honest, it's really not too different.' Gerry said. 'Our first tournament we wore ribbons in our hair and I had never done that before. But really, I go out with the same mindset for every tournament whether I am playing with girls or boys. I am just really loving it.'
Gerry loves more than just her athletic opportunities here at the University of Wisconsin. As a freshman, Gerry is soaking up everything her first year has to offer.
'The campus is great and all of the things that the university has to offer are awesome and I am so happy with my decision to come here.' Gerry said. 'I couldn't be happier. I love everything about it.'
Gerry has had success, but she has by no means gotten ahead of herself going into this weekend's Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa. She is still beaming about her success at the Badger Invitational, but she is ready to move on and compete this weekend.
'I have proven to myself that I can win.' Gerry said. 'I am just going to go into this tournament with a positive mindset and try to shoot the lowest score I can. For the rest of the year I am going to have this mindset and do my best to hopefully win some more tournaments.'
Gerry placed first in the Badger Invitational as an individual, but the UW team had success as well. After placing second last weekend, they are a strong contender for the Hawkeye Invitational this weekend.
'I know we're excited about it.' Coach Oehrlein said. 'The players are looking forward to it. We've had a good week of practice. We've played well so far. We just have to look at this as the next tournament and that next chance to prove ourselves. We just want to go out there and make a statement and win another golf tournament. That's what our expectations are and that's what we're trying to get accomplished this weekend.'
