Healthy Hedberg Swinging into Senior Season
Friday, February 6, 2015 | Women's Golf
By Madison Schultz
GatorZone Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When Camilla Hedberg began her senior golf season, she didn't expect to be out after one tournament due to tendonitis in her shoulder.
Now five months and hours and hours of rehab later, she's back and ready to take on her final Florida season, having debuted with a solid performance at the Florida Challenge in Lecanto last weekend and set follow it up Sunday when the Gators open play in the Northrop Gruman Challenge at Palos Verdes, Calif.
Years of swinging the club brought on the discomfort, but after a year of on-and-off pain she finally feels like she can give her all at practices.
And tournaments.
“I don't have to watch out and be careful every day to make sure I don't over-practice or do something wrong,” Hedberg said. “I don't have that constant worry of, 'Oh I can't do this tomorrow.' ”
After playing uncharacteristically poor in the fall-opening Cougar Classic -- she shot 76-75-75 -- Hedberg was shut down from competition and rested her way into the second semester. Healthy and rejuvenated, she opened the spring season with a team-best 3-over 147 in two rounds at Black Diamond Ranch. It was good enough to tie for third place individually, helping the Gators to a third-place team finish, as well.
So what goals does Hedberg, the 2013 first-team All-Southeastern Conference performer with a career stroke average of 74.6, have coming back from injury?
Absolutely none.
“We've talked a lot as a team about not setting goals and just working on what we can control,” she said. “If we do that, then the results will eventually come.”
Hedberg hails from Stiges, Spain, where she was that country's No. 1-ranked amateur player before coming to Florida. One of her biggest attributes, Glaser said, was Hedberg's willingness to work on weaknesses.
“She spends a lot of time and analyzes the things she does well or not well,” Glaser said. “She really has made the commitment to focus on the things she needs to work on.”
Even while she was out, Glaser said that Hedberg stayed positive and viewed her injury as an opportunity to grow from both physical and character standpoints.
Hedberg said that she learned more from her struggle in this past year than in her first few years at UF, one highlighted by a career-low round of 66 her sophomore season. At first, the fall may have seemed like a step back, but Hedberg took a negative and made it a positive.
“The coaches helped me, and my teammates were there for me,” she said. “It's going to help me a lot for my future.”
Freshman teammate Taylor Tomlinson said Hedberg's confidence and motivation did not waver during her injury hiatus.
“She was still a great leader,” Tomlinson said. “She helped me out on my short game and gave advice and was always on the range still working hard.”
Hedberg said she knows that being away from the match grind can chip away at a player's competitive edge, so since being cleared to play she's been out on the course getting as many score cards in as possible to simulate tournament mode.
The work definitely paid off with last week's Florida Challenge, where she carded rounds of 74 and 73, tying with sophomore teammate Karolina Vlckova for third.
Going into this weekend's tournament out west, Glaser thinks that Hedberg's effort to work on her short game will pay off.
“I know that if she plays to her potential, she could be in contention every week, individually,” she said.
What Glaser really wants to see from Hedberg is consistency, which builds momentum and confidence needed as the Gators move in the season.
Hedberg definitely took confidence with her to California, where the terrain may be different and the greens brutally fast.
“I think an advantage we have this year is that our greens here [at UF] now are amazing,” Hedberg said of the Mark Bostick Golf Course that was renovated last summer. “They're going to be more similar to what we're going to find in California.”
All of this time and experience should help Hedberg post-graduation. She has LPGA tour ambitions.
The multiple injuries she's had only make her realize how important it is to stay fit and work harder in the gym to get stronger.
Glaser believes that Hedberg's transition to the professional world would be smooth, especially with her college successes and ability to work on her own.
Her teammates definitely have confidence in her future ability with LPGA.
“I think it's one step that she's excited for and everyone here is excited for her,” said Vlckova. “She's ready to go.”
