Emily Bastel: Ohio rookie finishes in Top Ten
LPGA rookie Emily Bastel, who’s from Upper Sandusky, OH, had her best finish as a pro. After sinking an impressive 25-foot right-to-lefter for birdie on 18, Emily posted a 3-under 69, to go -13 for the tourney. She finished tied for 9th place. The Golf Blog got the chance to ask Emily a few questions after her round.
Emily said this was “definitely one of [her] best tournaments.” After having some trouble playing well on the weekends earlier this year, she has made a conscious effort to “not get ahead of herself” on the weekends. Well, it worked.
Also, Emily found it a big plus to be playing in front of family and friends from Upper Sandusky, a town of 6,000 people that is only 50 miles from Dublin, OH, the site of Tartan Fields. “It was really exciting,” Emily said, “It felt good to have so many family and friends here. Someone told me that 45 or so people from Upper Sandusky were following me earlier in the week.” Her father, who caddies for her and who is a head professional at Lincoln Hills Golf Club, said it might have been 50-60 people on Thursday and Friday in Emily’s following. On Saturday, Emily had more people following her than Annika, by Jason’s unofficial count. Emily also felt the support from the people from Ohio and the Columbus area who were at the tournament.
We also caught up with Emily’s parents. Emily’s mom said, “I’ve been trying to stay even keel” watching her daughter play, which can be nerve-wracking for any parent. Both Emily’s mother and father think it’s getting easier to watch Emily play, especially after rounds like today.
But being a rookie on tour is not easy. Emily explained, “The hardest thing is all the things that need to be done off the course. Where to stay, where to eat, where the locker room is, where to check in?…” Emily gave a lot of credit to Wendy Ward, her LPGA Big Sis (and Solheim Cup captain’s pick today), for showing her the ropes around the LPGA. As far as on the course, Emily had been a little worried that she wouldn’t be long enough to compete on tour. After getting on the tour, she soon realized that distance is not a problem. Instead, what she needed to work on is “scoring.” Well, with rounds of 69 -67 – 70 -69 this week, Emily has gotten the hang of scoring.
Personal note: We want to thank Emily and her parents for taking the time to speak with us. Emily’s got a great swing and a bright future ahead of her.
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