Paulson Enjoying Outstanding Rookie Season

AMES, Iowa-On the eve her final round at the Mountain View Collegiate, Iowa State freshman golfer Kristin Paulson jotted down a couple of goals she wanted to target on a sheet of paper. Her final scribble on the notepad was this: Shoot in the 60s.

The goal was lofty, to say the least. Only five players in the history of the program have carded a sub-70 round, all with a 69 in various tournaments. By the end of the day, Paulson added her name to that impressive list by firing a final-round 69 after posting a 79 and 77 in the first two rounds. Her 3-under par outing moved her into a tie for 33rd in the final standings and, more importantly, boosted her confidence.

“That round has really helped my confidence,” Paulson said. “I think once you do it, it is easier to do it again. It was really a fun round.”

How she recorded the magic number is a story within itself. The Cyclone rookie only hit 11 greens in regulation that day, but scrambled to get up and down seven out of seven times, including two sand saves. Her improved short game is something her head coach Christie Martens says is not an accident.

“She has worked on her short game a ton this year,” Martens said. “She has spent a lot of time around the greens and she is a great testament to what hard work can get you. She is always wanting to do more and asking what she can do to get better. She is such a coachable person in wanting to do whatever she can to be the best player.”

The Ottumwa, Iowa native could have picked a number of sports to continue her collegiate career. The multi-sport star also excelled in basketball and cross country. However, golf became her No. 1 priority following her sophomore season in high school.

The three-time all-state selection capped off her impressive prep career on the links by winning the Class 4A (large class) state title as a senior and earning Class 4A Girls Player of the Year honors by the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association in 2008. She led her Ottumwa squad to third-, first- and second-place showings at the state meet in her final three seasons.

“I was thinking about trying basketball in college until the summer before my junior year,” Paulson said. “I realized I liked golf a lot more and wanted to give that a try. Having the opportunity to play a lot of different sports in high school has really benefited me.”

The transition from high school to major college golf can be extremely daunting, especially when you are away from your closest friend for the first time in your life. Kristin and her identical twin sister, Sarah, formed a powerful tandem at Ottumwa High School. The twins were virtually inseparable, excelling in the same sports.

While Kristin is making her mark on the Cyclone golf team, Sarah is doing the same at Central College in Pella, Iowa. Sarah won the Iowa Conference golf meet in the fall by tying the conference record with a four-round 306 tally. She also was Central's second-leading scorer on the hardwood, averaging 10.0 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Dutch women's basketball team.

“It's tough at times being away from her, but I think it's good for both of us,” Paulson said. “It was going to happen sooner or later and it has helped us become a little more independent. We text each other daily and we are on the phone together at least once a week. She comes to Ames a lot, so we still see each other.”

Paulson now has her entire focus on ISU's next meet, the 2009 Big 12 Championships, beginning this weekend in Lubbock, Texas. Paulson, who is third on the team in stroke average (78.97) and is one of four Cyclones to compete in all 10 meets, is optimistic about her team's chances.

“I am really excited,” Paulson said. “We are going up against some really good competition. We know we have a good team and we know we are capable of shooting low scores. We have talked all year about how we want to improve our standings in each meet and we have done that this spring.”

Stay tuned for more Paulson exploits on the links for the next three years.