First person: Brightwell bound for UVa

By Laura Clark

Published: November 19, 2008

Elizabeth Brightwell, of Nellysford, signed a letter of intent to play golf for the University of Virginia on Nov. 12. She earned a partial athletic scholarship and will apply for academic scholarships soon.

Brightwell is a senior at St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville. She competes for her school in the spring, and individually in junior tournaments around the country. Brightwell is the daughter of James Brightwell and Laurie Keenan. She’s coached by Kandi Comer of Glenmore Country Club. Her high school coach is Phil Seay. Brightwell will play under second-year coach Kim Lewellen at UVa.

On living next to Stoney Creek Golf Course:

Number four is right behind our house. There’s just a creek in between. I used to be able to jump it, but it’s gotten overgrown.

(I started playing) in tournaments when I was 11, but my dad would take us out to the golf course when I was little, just to hit balls, since I was 5.

On her dedication to golf:

Probably like three summers ago I realized I really liked this and I wanted to do it in college. When you start winning things, it gives you another boost of energy. You see your improvement, and I’ve always liked it. It’s an individual sport, so it gives you time on your own. But then you have friends who do it, so you get to see them at tournaments. I really like the community.

A lot of people don’t understand golf, they’re like, ‘It’s not a sport. Old men with beer bellies, they play it and they’re good.’ Like, look at Tiger Woods, he’s in perfect shape. It requires mental stamina that other sports ... they require mental stamina, but I wouldn’t say to the degree that golf does. You’re out there for five hours and you’ve got to be on your game the whole five hours if you want to win. Other sports, you’re so in the zone you don’t even think. Golf it just goes on and on and on.

On finding the college fit:

I started sending letters last fall. You hear back and it’s who wants you and you want some, but you don’t want others. It’s a really stressful process.

I’ve always wanted to go to UVa, so when I committed verbally in May, I was really happy. The academics are awesome. I’ve always learned, “Go Hoos!”

The college team is fourth in the nation right now. I have a lot of friends on the team, so that was a big plus. And being close to my parents and my coach is good.

On the UVa golf team:

(UVa) started the year out of the top ten but in the top 20. Now they’re fourth. It’ll be really cool. You practice all day, like three hours. Then you have workouts. It could seem like it’s too strenuous, but I think if you’re with friends it’ll be cool.

One of my good friends, Whitney Neuhauser, is on the team. She’ll be a senior next year. She takes from (Comer) as well. She’s playing phenomenally this year. She was telling me the secret is she really has to play for herself more than her team. She’s like, ‘It sounds selfish, but if you play for your team, you’re never going to be focused on your own game.’

Now she’s realized if you focus on yourself, it’s good for the team. Golf’s weird that way.

On her favorite course:

Probably Wintergreen (Stoney Creek) because it’s really unbeatable. It’s a great course. People are nice who work at the course.

It’s challenging, and I guess since I’ve grown up on it, I know a lot of the nooks and crannies. But it can still bite you on certain holes. You can’t not play well on it. I like the style. It’s pretty narrow and the greens are tough.

Talking about how holes can bite you, you can get behind a tree and really not have an opportunity to get a par. You’ll have to come back from your round from just one errant shot. You have to be careful on every single shot. Par or a couple over (is my best score). They don’t have many tournaments out here, unfortunately.

On playing for St. Anne’s-Belfield:

They have a coed team that I’ve played on since ninth grade. There’s been one other girl on the team, though she doesn’t play in the starting five.

I’ve had four boys who are a year above me on the team the whole time. They graduated last year, so it’s just going to be me this year. Getting to know them has been really great. I played No. 1 last year, but before that it was a struggle to be No. 1 because the boys hit it further than you do.  They provided good competition.

We did really well last year, and the year before that. But this year we’re going to be lacking again because it’s just me and a couple of guys.

High school golf is not a big deal. For the people in the top levels, sometimes they don’t even play for their high school team, which is kind of sad, because if you don’t play for your high school golf team, what are you doing to support your school?

I really like the kids at my school, so its fun to get to be on a team with them. The other schools are really good. And if you don’t play, the program at your school doesn’t have a future. I’ve been at STAB since fourth grade, and I want to do what I can for them.

On the junior golf circuit:

I play mostly individual tournaments, all the time during the summer. It’s called the American Junior Golf Association. And the Virginia State tournaments. Luckily I have my dad to drive me around to all of these.

I won a tournament in the late part of the summer in Connecticut at Richter Park. I played with a girl who’s going to UVa as well, from Massachusetts. We were in the last group together and we had a one-two finish.

On improving her mental game:

You have to stay in the moment, and focus on every shot. I think it only clicked in the last year. I read books by Bob Rotella, and I met him with my coach. He helped me a lot. He helps the UVa team, so I’ll get to have some more meetings with him.  Bob Rotella’s like this golf mental guru. He’s from Charlottesville, but he talks to professionals everywhere.

It’s really different. Usually, I would get a double bogey and get really mad and give up. Now, you realize it’s just one hole. You can come back with birdies. It’s okay. The tournament I won in Connecticut, one hole I had a nine. I got pars and birdies besides that. And that came earlier in my round, so I learned to come back from bad things, and to take it one shot at a time and not get ahead of yourself if you’re playing really well.

On improving her skills:

My long game is good (she drives about 240 yards), and my short game is getting better. I’m working on all my short game, like putts, because once you get on the green, you have to make the putt. And the mental game always needs attention. It’s a work in progress. I’ll have to be relying on the new personal trainer to get me the extra yardage. Professionals hit it about 260 or 280.

On playing with her dad, James:

When I was little, he used to be like, ‘You have to go out and practice now.’ He doesn’t have to do that because I actually like practicing on my own. He has taught me that you can’t just sit back and expect yourself to improve; you actually have to work hard.

He taught me how to work out, which is weird to say. He taught me how to go around the gym and do things that will help me instead of just prancing around, doing nothing. There’s lots of stretching, lots of band work. You have to work your abs.

We bet for money, because I don’t have any money and that’s my chance to get some. Now I have to give him some strokes. He used to be able to beat me, and now I have to give him like 10 strokes, and it’s really hard to come back from 10 strokes. So I don’t get much money anymore.

On looking forward to being a Cavalier:

I’m excited to be on a team. It’s sort of like a sorority. You have your friends and you’re competing against them. You practice all the time. When I went on my official visit, they were constantly in contact, texting all the time. The coach is like a mom figure, but also a friend. It will be cool to get better with them, struggle, and succeed —like they’re doing now. They get to travel. I’ve got to make the travel team first. Five go to the tournaments. It’ll take a lot of work to get on the travelling team. But I’m willing to do it.