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University of Florida senior Whitney Myers was recently named to the All-Southeastern Conference women's golf first team. After competing in the NCAA Championships for the Gators, the former Spring Grove High School student will play on the Duramed Futures Tour. (University of Florida Photo)
It took a lot of persuasion to get Whitney Myers on a golf course at 3 years old.

Her grandfather, Darrell Sipe, had to offer her 25 cents for every time she hit a green. And even with that carrot dangling in front of her, Myers hated golf.

Almost 20 years later, though, Myers looks back on those early outings with grandpa Darrell and laughs. The University of Florida senior has come a long way.

Helps Gators to SEC title: Myers, 22, was recently named to the All-Southeastern Conference women's golf first team after sporting a 73.66 round average this year for the Gators. She routinely crushes the ball around 265 yards off the tee and she helped Florida to one of its best seasons in a decade.

The Gators placed first at the

Myers
recent SEC Championship at Tennessee National -- beating the rest of the field by an astonishing 17 strokes. Myers shot 69 on Sunday to help her team close out the victory. The SEC is regarded as one of the better women's golf conferences in the nation.

"Winning by 17 strokes, that says a lot about our team," said Myers, who will compete with her teammates in the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., later this month. "The bunkers had wooden planks on the sides and they were like the ones you would see at St. Andrews. Your short game had to be on."

Years of hard work paying off: Myers' path to the top of women's collegiate golf has been a long one. She started taking lessons at 8, she entered national tournaments at 12 and

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moved to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida to work on her game full-time at 16.

The latter move ended her golf and swimming careers at Spring Grove High School after two years and took her from the only friends she had ever known. But looking back, Myers said the move worked out for the best. And it certainly made her a better golfer.

"I think this year she's really
gotten her game together," said mother Joyce Myers. "She wasn't ready to turn pro her freshman year (like many other women do). Over the years, I've seen her mature and she's ready for the next step."

That next step will be the Duramed Futures Tour. After finishing in a tie for 18th in the Futures Tour Qualifying Tournament earlier this year, Whitney Myers has fully exempt status on the Futures Tour -- the LPGA's official development tour.

The Futures Tour -- which had a longtime event in York County and currently has a stop in Gettysburg -- is known partially for its lackluster purses, but the top five players on the season-ending money list earn exempt status on the LPGA each season.

Although it's a tough living, Myers' time on the Futures Tour will hopefully be a short ride. She plans to use the experience to gear up for qualifying school for the LPGA in November.

"It's going to be hard because the girls on the Futures Tour are just as good as the ones on the LPGA," Myers said. "I'm not nervous, but it is scary.

"I just think golf is about confidence. That's pretty much it."

-- Reach Jeffrey A. Johnson at jjohnson@yorkdispatch.com or at 505-5406.