Ashlan Ramsey

[bangkokbobby]

I'm under no illusion that anybody other than In Gee Chun is the pre-season favorite for 2016 Rookie of the Year. However, I'd love to see my Siam Sister Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong do well and get on a lot of leaderboards, if for no other reason than to hear commentators say "Santiwiwatthanaphong"

That said, here's a nice article from the Macon Telegraph about former Golfweek #1 Amateur and Clemson Tiger, Ashlan Ramsey. We'll see if the former American Curtis Cup team member can make some noise this year. The women's game is just in such a great place in terms of competitiveness. In years past, I would think lots of rookies could cause a ripple, but the tour is so deep now...who is going to slip so that new players can rise? Unless one is a In Gee Chun level talent, it's hard to project how much traction they can get on tour right away. Rookies could play well and still not crack the top 50.



original link: Patience Pays Off For Ashlan Ramsey

by Daniel Shirley

Patience is important for any golfer, and Ashlan Ramsey knows that better than most.

Ramsey had to display plenty of patience last year as she continued to work her way through the early part of her professional career. After turning pro in 2014, Ramsey suffered a back injury last year and was forced to take some time off from the game she has devoted her life to.

"Keeping everything in perspective and also knowing when you need to kind of step up your game and adjust to being at either a higher level or playing to the way you're capable of playing is important," Ramsey said. "The patience definitely is a huge thing because playing so many weeks in a row and being on the road so much, you're going to have bad weeks and bad days and maybe even a bad month. So you have to kind of figure out a balance between pushing yourself and staying patient and let the bad times play themselves out."

That patience has paid off for Ramsey.

The former John Milledge standout, who was ranked by GolfWeek as the top amateur in the world in 2013 and 2014 and spent one year at Clemson, earned her LPGA Tour card at Q-school in December.

"I have worked hard for it all year," Ramsey said of getting her LPGA card, "and I'm trying to get back to practicing and getting ready for the season because that's a whole different story. But to have my card now is definitely a relief."

That relief now turns to work as Ramsey prepares for the LPGA Tour season. That begins Jan. 25-31 in the Bahamas with the Pure Silk-Bahamas Classic, and Ramsey said she will to the Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, the following week.

"I feel like it's good now. I've been working on my game," Ramsey said. "I took a little break from playing right after Q-school and started back, and then we had Christmas, so I didn't practice a whole lot in December, and now I'm back to practicing even though it's freezing outside. I'm excited, if nothing else to get started. I'm ready to start the season and be able to play and have these opportunities. I feel like I'm definitely a player who enjoys playing a bunch of tournaments in a row because my game gets better each week with me playing more.

"I'm definitely just excited to get competing again and get back to competition since I haven't played anything since Q-school."

Ramsey, who said she is set for 16 to 19 events this season, will take a break as the LPGA Tour heads to Asia in February, and then she will get back into the grind of the tour and the competition, which she loves.

"I think I will have more of an idea after the first few events, but I want to play well and continue making cuts," Ramsey said of her goals for this season. "I think I'm good enough to compete with the best of them out there. It's just a matter of giving myself the opportunities and putting myself in position on the weekends to really play well and capitalize on the opportunities."

[bangkokbobby]

...another Ashlan Ramsey article, this time from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution...

Georgian Ashlan Ramsey poised for LPGA success

By Stan Awtrey - For the AJC


Ashlan Ramsey seemed to have her path to the LPGA all figured out.

Ramsey, the No. 1-ranked female amateur in the world in 2014, signed with Clemson and spent one season playing college golf before opting to become a professional. She was poised and ready to become the next Annika Sorenstam.

That’s where the path took an unexpected turn.

A series of frustrating injuries in 2015 put her on the sidelines and limited her practice schedule. She couldn’t compete. She had to take odd jobs and try to raise money online to fund her travel and tournament entry fees. She had to work her way back through the developmental Symetra Tour before earning an LPGA exemption in the fall.

Ramsey now considers the travails to be a blessing, although it didn’t seem so at the time.

“I learned a lot my first year,” she said. “I probably would have had a rude awakening if I’d gotten to the LPGA after my first year.”

It all came so easily for Ramsey when growing up in Milledgeville. As a kid, Ramsey decided she would rather play tennis and leave the golf to older sister Taylor. But after seeing her sister, now a senior on the Clemson golf team, bring a trail of trophies and medals home, Ashlan decided to return to golf and focus her attention there.

Ramsey progressed through the junior ranks and had her breakout year in 2012. She was runner-up at the U.S. Public Links Championship in 2012, won two tournaments at Clemson in 2013-14, earned her way on to the 2014 U.S. Curtis Cup team and was ranked as the No. 1 amateur player in the world.

That’s when she decided it was time to play for keeps. Her decision to leave school after one season raised a few eyebrows, but it’s a move she still defends.

“I had given myself a timeline, and I knew it would be a process and there were things I’d have to learn,” she said “Leaving school was a huge part of my decision. I knew the first year would be a bumpy road. I had to figure out the obstacle that I’d have to jump and prepare myself for the LPGA.”

Turns out the road was bumpier than she thought. She failed to advance from the LPGA qualifying school and was unable to play for nearly three months because of inflamed nerves in her back caused by overwork. She was stuck in limbo.

While she was sidelined, Ramsey found a new instructor in Kevin Britt of Greenville, S.C., who helped her begin the process of fixing her swing. Never the longest off the tee, Ramsey is a fairway-finding machine and possesses a killer short game. Late last spring it all began to click again for her.

She was able to win the Georgia Women’s Open, earn status on the Symetra Tour, make the cut in 10 events, pocket a few bucks and regain confidence in her game.

She got past the final hurdle when the tied for eighth at the final stage of the LPGA qualifier to earn exempt status. Her family surprised her by showing up and celebrating at the 18th green — after she finished and had officially made it.

“There was definitely some criticism when I left Clemson,” Ramsey said. “But I’ve never been one who cares what other people are saying. It has renewed by faith in God and opened my eyes to the fact that everything isn’t perfect and is not going to be perfect. It definitely helped me as a person.”

Now 20, Ramsey has a management team, a string of endorsements and a clear path to achieve her goals when the LPGA begins its season Jan. 28 in the Bahamas. Affable, approachable and photogenic, she appears to be in a good place to become Georgia’s first successful LPGA player in years.

“I can’t wait to get started,” she said.