Sandra Gal: Gainesville Was the Right Place to Call Home
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 | Women's Golf
It's hard to believe a player as acclaimed as Gal only received three scholarship offers from Tulane, Purdue and Florida as a recruit that for the most part, was a diamond in the rough who flew under everyone's radar.
Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton extended her recruiting prowess overseas as she reeled in Gal after an unofficial visit and the rest has been history. During Gal's senior year of high school, she was connected with Briles-Hinton through Jonathan Yarwood of the renowned David Leadbetter Academy while training.
“The first time I met Coach, it was the summer between my junior and senior years in high school,” Gal said. “She comes to the British Girls Championship every summer and then we talked over the phone and she came over to practice and I came over and visited. I committed late in the fall of 2003.”
Briles-Hinton saw Gal had an immediate place on the team and made the perfect selling pitch. At the time, Gal knew what she wanted but had many questions she wanted answered to see which school was best tailored to her abilities. She's now convinced she made the right decision and marvels at the transition the impact that recruiting now has on the game compared to three years ago.
“Back then, recruiting wasn't as popular as it is now and I had no idea what to do,” Gal reflected. “I didn't send any video footage out to anyone. Now, people are sending letters to 20 or more different universities and receiving feedback. I just had a big board of universities and who had collegiate women's golf. I honestly had no idea of the difference between Division I and Division II.”
It was Gainesville she fell in love with, and Gal wanted to be a part of the Orange and Blue shortly after her visit.
“I think what caught my eye about Florida was how professionally everything was organized and constructed, almost like a corporate style,” Gal said. “You have everything that you need to succeed, plus the (Melnyk) teaching center and how the coaches take care of your academic and athletic needs. On a campus with about 50,000 students, I thought it would be anonymous, but I felt like I knew everyone quicker than I realized. At many campuses, you have to travel a considerable distance to even get to a golf course. The (Mark Bostick) Golf Course is right in our backyard. I can just take my bike, head to the golf course, get to class and go home with ease.”
Gal pointed out that the attention sports receive in Europe, especially collegiate athletics, don't come close to comparing to the way they are treated in the U.S. The trend of European stars on the collegiate scene is one that Gal thinks will continue to increase.
“So many people from Europe come over here because you can't go to a university and play a sport seriously like you can over here,” Gal said. “The game of golf is changing dramatically because more players are coming over to play golf at American universities where they have a chance to make something happen and get an opportunity like the one I've been able to have.”
Golf in Germany is rapidly increasing in popularity. Gal knew of three German natives on Division I rosters, College of Charleston's Steffi Kirchmeyer (Pocking), Georgia State's Sandra Maier (Grossbottwar) and Charleston Southern's Katrin Rumpf (Frankfurt).
It was hard for Gal to fathom that the pipeline between Germany and collegiate golf ran extensively through Tulane when she was searching for a place she could call home. Gal could just have easily hit the links for the Green Wave because two German players filled the starting lineup and Gal would have had an easy cultural connection. Purdue pursued Gal, attempting to continue a trend of international diversity on its roster that continues up to today. The Boilermakers have players from The Netherlands, Thailand, Spain, Quebec and France.
“I talked to two other golfers that played at Tulane, Jessica Issler and Caroline Landmann, before I decided on Florida,” Gal said. “They told me to go to a place where I felt comfortable and where I could get the most out of my potential. That place to me was Florida.”
What Gal has accomplished on and off the course has set a precedent for German junior players. Since becoming a member of the German national team in 2003, she deals with local publicity and is the ideal ambassador for her native country. She also had the support of her parents, Dr. Jan and Alexandra Gal, before deciding to cross the Atlantic Ocean to pursue her dream.
“I wouldn't say that girls in Germany idolize me but there are a lot of younger players that want to talk to me and I can tell them how my experience has been,” Gal said. “I think my biggest concern was that I would not be with my family and I would have a hard time adjusting here, but because I'm an only child and was a little spoiled, I was really surprised at how quickly I got used to everything. The team clicked well and we bonded so quickly and helped each other out all the time and I was on the phone with my parents almost every day.”
For international prospects interested in pursuing their career at Florida, Gal has advice and words of wisdom to offer.
“I would tell them that they have everything they need here and how close- knit everything is here,” Gal said. “They look out for your golf, your school and everyone cares so much about you and wants to see you get better. I would also tell them that Florida is a great place, not just the golf course but everything about how the university and campus is laid out. I want to call my parents during the day if I have a question and the facilities as well as the golf course, is awesome. I didn't want to be here just to play golf, but to get a good education. I did some research behind the academics, but again I found a good combination of academics and golf and that's what I really wanted here.”
She was blown away at the support a school like Florida receives and said that the team morale and spirit that rests with current students and alumni is unparalleled.
“Whenever you hear the word “Gators”, it's a complete team concept, and I've never been to a place where the school nickname means so much to everyone,” Gal marveled. “Whenever you here that, it's wonderful (talking with redshirt junior Ornella Jouven) like at the airport when fans will say “Go Gators!” before we leave to go to a tournament. I really felt the strong team concept and I'm a big part of the whole Gator Nation. Even in the future when you look for a job, you need some contacts and you will find them at the University of Florida.”
Gal intends to complete her degree in advertising next semester and will be able to practice with the team.
“I like doing art and design and I'm not sure how long I want to play golf for and in the long run I'd like to combine something I can paint with the sport I love to play.”
The transition from college golf to the LPGA hit Gal hard but like everything else, she's taking it in stride and enjoying every step of the journey. Poised to write the next chapter in her book, Gal already knows what kind of mindset she is going to take in an effort to be successful on the professional level.
“It was very exciting and it's great making it, but in the end, I'm starting from page one next year,” Gal said. “My goal will be to keep the card and obviously play the best I can and see where I can take it. Now it's a different challenge and competition. They talked about the LPGA brand, which I didn't really know much about and trying to bring to the same level as the PGA and exposure and it's essentially like a big entertainment business. I want to play my best and try to help them achieve their mission to make women's golf more proactive and interesting.”
Many adjustments will be made within the next few months as Gal learns a new set of standards and rules. At the LPGA orientation they discussed everything from etiquette at a sponsored meal to proper attire on and off the course.
“We received a huge binder with rules, fines and everything you need to know about the LPGA,” Gal said. “If you play a practice round on the wrong day, it will result in a $1,000 fine. I was surprised at how open they were because they were looking for honest feedback. We played little games to know one another and each of the rookies were told they would be assigned a “big sister. They will match it with your demographics and I'll probably know by the end of the year who my sister will be.”
Used to typically mesmerizing college fans, Gal will be followed by a different kind of fan base when she treks nationwide in pursuit of her goals. She looks forward to the treatment from the LPGA fans and trying to give them something to cheer about in the long run.
“I'm looking forward to just the whole experience with the fans, to see them more pumped up and more excited to be out there and to be comfortable out there and get used to everything. There's just no place in Europe where you can do that. It's very sad that we don't have the same appreciation of sports that is shown over here. I think golf is getting bigger. The LPGA is getting bigger, there is more competition among juniors and that provides more motivation.”
Perched above Gal's now vacant locker is a placard that reads, “LPGA Rookie”, a title bestowed upon a former Florida student-athlete who deserved everything she received.
