Golfer Ashley Prange Wins Two Tournaments This Spring

Chapel Hill, N.C. -

April 1, 2004

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Over a two-week span in March, senior Ashley Prange won two individual titles back-to-back, helping the North Carolina women's golf team to two victories as well. Her win at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, the second of her career, earned her the honor of Golf World's College Player of the Week. Prange, from Noblesville, Ind., then went on the next week to win the Lady Gamecock Classic. This is her last collegiate season, as she will graduate in December 2004 with a degree in journalism and advertising. Prange sat down with TarHeelBlue.com to speak about her success this spring, her time at UNC and her future.

TarHeelBlue: What were you feeling during your back-to-back wins?
Ashley Prange: "The only thing different about those two weeks is that I was kind of oblivious to it. I'm really trying to enjoy my last year and cherish every moment I have. I looked back on the wins and was like, 'Oh, that was two in a row.'"

THB: How do you keep your focus over a weekend of play?
Prange: "The biggest way to keep your focus is to not look at the entire tournament. You think one tournament, one day, one hole and one shot at a time. You take it one at a time without getting ahead of yourself."

THB: Is the pressure of a simultaneous individual and team competition more, less, different?
Prange: "When you try to make the best of your game, you help the team as well. It's not like basketball where you throw a bad pass it's going to affect your teammate. You focus on what you need to do and then your results will affect the team positively."

THB: What is your opinion on the recent debate about fan behavior in golf?
Prange: "A lot of the poor behavior is from people's lack of knowledge about the sport. I think the sport has changed a lot, but people don't understand that it's still a very formal, gentleman's sport. A lot of the change is attributed to the rivalry that Tiger (Woods) has made; he's made it more of a vocal sport.

"It's a good thing; it's attracting more people. I would like it to be more vocal. Obviously I'd rather it be vocal with sportsmanship though. I wouldn't want someone yelling in my back swing like they do for free-throw shots."

THB: How has your game over the years evolved?
Prange: "Discipline is the biggest thing I've gained from being at Carolina. I've always had the talent to be a pretty good golfer, but disciplining myself to practice some things I don't like to practice, practicing at times I don't want to practice and working on big picture things like my mental game and physical conditioning.

"I was very serious about the conditioning in the off-season, and it's benefited me big time. I've picked up definite distance. It's a big difference for me. I don't get tired, my stamina is stronger, and I'm a stronger player out there."

THB: You mentioned your mental game, how have you worked on that?
Prange: "I have a new sports psychologist. He's worked with me on not having too many expectations. That's something I struggled with in the fall, looking too much at the big picture. He's helped me really narrow it down to taking it one shot at a time and having my only expectation be that I know I can play the game.

"I even wear a rubber band now on the golf course. If I start counting strokes or think of a bad shot or hole I had, I snap the rubber band, like it's snapping me back into the present."

THB: What are your plans after graduation?
Prange: "I'm planning on moving to Sea Island, Ga., with my best friend who plays at USC. She and I are going to turn pro and train down there together. I'll have my same swing coach, my father and uncle, and the same sports psychologist.

"I'll go to the Futures Tour qualifier in November. But this summer I plan on staying an amateur. I'm playing in a lot of tournaments around the country, and I'm also going to Thailand for a week and a half. And a year from August, I'll go to LPGA Qualifying School."

THB: How does golf prepare you for other feats that you will accomplish in life?
Prange: "Golf is a sport that teaches you how to communicate with people and how to network. When you're 12-years-old playing golf with a CEO of a major company in a tournament, you learn how to grow up and be more professional. And with females right now, it's big to be able to play golf.

"But no matter what I do, I don't see myself getting out of the golf business. If I'm not competing, I will do something on the business side like sports journalism or advertising."

THB: Can you watch other people play golf?
Prange: "I used to not be able to watch the women at all and only the men in a major. Now, I enjoy watching the women because I know I can learn from watching them. I'm actually going to the Master's this year and I'm excited about that!"

THB: Who do you look up to in the game of golf?
Prange: "Annika Sorenstam has been an inspiration to me for her discipline off the golf course: her motivation to tackle men's golf, work out in the weight room and get herself in the best possible shape. She and Cristie Kerr are my two favorites. And I played against Grace Park when I was younger. And you can't really overlook Tiger. He's just far superior in everything that he does."

THB: Have you ever met Tiger Woods?
Prange: "I have met him. I met him when I was 12-years-old; he was still an amateur. I met him when he was in Chicago, and actually, he signed a golf ball for me. And as soon as he turned pro, he stopped signing golf balls. Then I got to meet him last year at the Masters."

THB: What is great about golf?
Prange: "I love the travel. Getting to go places and see beautiful places and also the discipline it gives somebody. Not everybody can play it because it requires a certain discipline. Even the most arrogant person can be humbled by golf and it takes a tremendous sport to be able to humble somebody. It makes people really understand themselves better."

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