PWGA NOTES & QUOTES
Hello from
Stockton!
by Patti Soiseth
As many of you know, I am in
charge of security at Turlock High
School. As much as I love my job,
the minute that last bell rings in
May I feel as giddy as the
students! I play when I can during
the school year but it's a very
hectic time as you may imagine,
so it’s really when golf begins for
me.
One of my favorite things is
running into kids that are home
for summer from college. Our
school has produced many fine
athletes who have moved on to
play athletics at the college level. I
ran into one such young lady not
too long ago and we struck up a
conversation about her high
school and college experience
with golf. I asked her if she would
4
mind writing it in her own words
so I could share her story with my
golf buddies.
The following is her experience so
far:
My name is Bergen Benedict. I
graduated Turlock High School in
2015 and I played all four years on
their Varsity Girl’s Golf Team.
Throughout my journey at Turlock
High School, I discovered my love
and passion for golf. I have made
friends that will last a lifetime and
I have grown tremendously as a
person. During my junior year of
high school, I realized that I
wanted to play golf at the college
level. I began to look for schools
and fell in love with California
State University, San Marcos. I
ended up receiving a scholarship
to play NCAA Division II golf at
CSUSM, which changed my life because it allowed me to be the first
in my family to go to college.
2016 PWGA Board Members
President, Jane Sullwold – [email protected]
Vice President, Nancy Boggs – [email protected]
Past President, Joanne Holman – [email protected]
Secretary, Deirdre Bragg – [email protected]
Treasurer, Zelna Morrow – [email protected]
Handicap Director, Bobbi Hanada – [email protected]
Tournament Director, Marilyn Domingo – [email protected]
Rules Director, Dana Carrigan – [email protected]
Course Rating Director, Kaaren Walsh – [email protected]
Nine Hole Director, Beverly Chance – [email protected]
USGA Liaison, Julie Gonzalez – [email protected]
My first year of college at CSUSM
is now complete and my passion
for golf has grown even stronger
than before. My golf team has
become my second family and I
have no idea how I would of
survived my first year without
them by my side. The role of a
student-athlete comes with many
responsibilities like being a leader
on campus and setting an
example for others. I also had to
learn how to balance academics
and athletics while missing class
for tournaments. While being
away at school, it has helped me
become independent and learn
how to live on my own. I plan on
playing golf through college and
then continuing my career as a
professional golfer on the LPGA. I
can definitely say that I would not
be where I am today without golf
and I am so thankful every day for
having the opportunity to follow
my dreams as a golfer.