BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — Malinda Johnson, one of the most accomplished performers in Wisconsin women's golf history, got a kick out of the unexpected blast from the past.

When she competed for the Badgers from 2000 to '04, she filled out a media questionnaire that attempted to isolate her likes, dislikes and personal preferences. More than two decades later, some of the questions and her answers made her laugh aloud.

"Friends" or "ER?" Johnson picked "Friends."

Hobbies? Johnson offered "drawing and sleeping."

Favorite cartoon character? Johnson went with Bart Simpson.

"Pretty funny. Pretty old," Johnson said in retrospect.

A more enlightening question for Johnson was this one: What motivates you?

"The desire to be the best," she said.

You could make a compelling case that Johnson is the best women's golfer in UW history. She helped lead the Badgers to their first-ever team berth in the NCAA tournament in 2003, was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team pick in 2004 and — at one point — owned the program record for best single-season scoring average (74.20) and the career scoring average (76.20).

"One of the top couple players to play in our program," Wisconsin coach Todd Oehrlien said of Johnson. "Just unbelievably talented."

Johnson, a left-hander, had a host of scholarship offers — Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio State among them — but tabbed Wisconsin in large part because the legendary Dennis Tiziani was the coach and Johnson's close friend, Katie Connelly, was there.

"I thought about going somewhere warm," said Johnson, who won a state team title as a freshman and the state individual crown as a senior at Eau Claire North High School (Wis.). "Ultimately it came down to home state pride.

"I worked very hard for that university. I worked really hard. I wanted to be successful. I took pride in how hard I worked and the tournaments I won and finished high."

Tiziani stepped down as UW coach after Johnson's junior year and Todd Oehrlein took over. Oehrlein said taking the reins of a program with someone like Johnson in the mix was a gift. He was especially grateful for her influence and maturity while trying to manage a young team under unfamiliar circumstances.

"That year she was an All-American, set the school single-season scoring record and was selected for the NCAA championships," Oehrlein said. "That tells you how she managed all that.

"She was able to be a good leader, be a good teammate and do what we needed. I really appreciated her help on that side of things and still played at a really high level that whole season."

Oehrlein noticed right away that Johnson was extremely competitive with an unusual mix of flexibility, strength and touch.

"Malinda was kind of unique in that she had a ton of strength and length and power and often times players with that skillset struggle in the areas of finesse and scoring and maybe aren't the greatest putters," Oehrlein said. "She had both sides of it at an elite level.

"As you can imagination, that was quite a separator. It wasn't a bad spot to walk onto having a player like that."

Johnson's impact on the Badgers is why she's being inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.

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HIGH FIVE

One: Johnson fondly recalled her in-home recruiting visit with Tiziani. At one point her grandfather, one of her earliest golf tutors, showed up unannounced and implored Tiziani to sign his granddaughter.

"I was embarrassed because I was a teenager at the time," Johnson said. "Now when I look back on it, it makes my heart warm because he's no longer with us. He was so proud for me to go to Wisconsin. It was meant to be."

Two: Johnson was 16 when she came within two strokes of qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open. She was 19 when she played in an LPGA Tour event for the first time.

Three: Looking back on her UW career, Johnson said she's most proud that she never finished outside the top four at the Big Ten meet. She also became more worldly.

"I really grew as a person over those four years and I stayed with it," she said.

Four: Johnson still plays golf, but not at the highest level. She had surgery to repair a torn labrum in her shoulder, which limited her game.

Five: Johnson graduated from UW with a degree in art. She currently works as a freelance graphic designer and has her own wood working studio in Phoenix, Arizona.

"It's keeping me busy," she said. "It's fun. I don't feel like I have to go to work. I love going out and making stuff."