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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 8, 2009 · 44 Marrin first turned heads at USGA qualifier Continued from page 43 had the wherewithal to say, `I'm practicing three hours a day and playing 18 holes every afternoon.' She gave me the right answers." Guyer mentioned the theories contained in a book, Every Shot Must Have Purpose. "Do you even know what that is?" he asked the enthusiastic but inexperienced golfer. He seemed impressed to learn that she had read it. But he still didn't have a spot for her. · · · How do you give an excited teenager who has just discovered something new a little dose of reality without crushing her spirit? That job fell to her dad. It wasn't like his daughter's athletic career had been an endless run of participation ribbons. She had experienced success in other sports -- she won a silver medal with Abbey Park's relay team at the Golden Horseshoe track and field meet, played rep soccer with the Oakville Demons, was cocaptain of her high school field hockey team and was the athlete of the year at her elementary school, Pilgrim Wood. But maybe golf just wasn't her thing. "You know, that kinda sucks," her father told her after her first round. Marrin admits she might not have given it her all in those initial indoor lessons before her first round. "For a teenager, it's not very entertaining hitting into a net," she said. That all changed once she got out on the course. Seeing the ball fly through the air gave her a thrill. Despite hitting her drives 160 yards, "they just didn't look like they did on TV." Being able to see the balls fly at the driving range gave her a new outlook on practice. Two weeks later, she played in another tournament at Glen Abbey and dropped 29 strokes, shooting a 112. PHOTOS BY HERB GARBUTT / OAKVILLE BEAVER BUNKER DOWN: Kaitlin Marrin works on her game with Core Golf Academy coach Annie Mallory. "but it just seemed too soon. I thought if I'm getting these offers now, who knows what else is out there." Marrin's play at the USGA qualifier also earned herself a spot on the Canadian team for the Callaway Junior World Golf "It's a little Tournament in San overwhelming. It's Diego. At the toura rarity to be able nament, where the to accomplish likes of Tiger Woods, what I have." Phil Mickelson and Lorena Ochoa once Kaitlin Marrin competed as juniors, her scores mirrored her quickly-improving golf game: 9688-82, with the last round including an evenpar 36 on the front nine. Marrin began sending out packages to schools and then waited. The response wasn't what she hoped for. She got 150 no-thankyous and eight replies saying they would monitor her scores. "It was a little heartbreaking. You get the Youngstown offer in July," Marrin said. "And then February, March... no offers... and then April comes around, and still nothing." · · · · · · The first scholarship offer came in July of 2008. Marrin was playing at a United States Golf Association qualifier in Ohio. There were dozens of NCAA golf coaches at the tournament. None of them were there to see her. By the end of the day, she would have two offers, one from Ohio State and one from Youngstown. Coaches didn't have much reason to be watching for her, since she had yet to break 90 in tournament play. The 90s are great if they are your marks in school -- and Marrin's were there -- but if it's your best golf scores, you don't exactly have NCAA coaches beating down your door. That day, though, Marrin turned in the round of her life, firing an 80. It didn't hurt that her playing partner that day was the granddaughter of the Youngstown coach. Marrin considered the offer, even going on a school visit. "They treated me like a queen," she said, Marrin had a spot waiting for her at the University of Western Ontario when she graduated from Abbey Park. But, buoyed by her rapid improvement after just one year, she decided to defer her acceptance. Building on what she had been taught by Rich Storey at her former home course, Rattlesnake Point, she moved to Florida in November to work on her game at the Core Golf Academy. Immersed in golf every day, playing alongside pro and the top juniors and working with the likes of Sean Foley -- who coaches PGA veteran Stephen Ames -- "helped take (my game) to the next level," said Marrin. Still, the signing deadline was approaching quickly and the offers weren't coming. Then Marrin received an e-mail from Guyer. A verbal commitment had backed out. Was she interested? "It took me about two minutes to call him and say `Yes, sir.'" Guyer still wanted to see her play before making an offer. Three days before the signing deadline, he was coming to see her in an American Junior Golf Association tournament. He missed the opening day when she finally broke into the 70s with a 79, but he was there the following day to see her shoot an 80. Guyer said his offer was based on potential. And he sees plenty of it. "A lot of girls say they want to play on the LPGA. She's one of the few I could actually see playing professionally. She's got the size, the distance -- she's hitting the ball 250 yards, which is what you need to do -- and the demeanor. She absorbs information," Guyer said. "Most girls have played a long, long time. A lot of them, their ultimate goal is to play Division 1, so this is the end of the road. They don't have that underlying desire to be better. She does." Two weeks ago at an International Junior Golf Tour event in Tampa, Marrin shot a 74, yet another career best, and went on to finish tied for sixth. It still baffles Peter Marrin, who played six seasons in the WHA and won a Memorial Cup with the Toronto Marlboros. "Could you imagine a 16-year-old kid coming up to you saying `I haven't skated yet, but I want to be a hockey player.'?" "It's a little overwhelming," says Kaitlin. "It's a rarity to be able to accomplish what I have." Two years later, it appears reality in regards to golf has finally set in. Path to a golf scholarship Kaitlin Marrin's second game of golf was 29 shots better than her first, and she just kept on getting better. April 27, 2007 Plays first round of golf, shoots a 141. April 8, 2009 Signs NCAA letter of intent to play at Mercer U. November, 2008 July 2, 2008 Shoots an 80 at USGA qualifier, is offered two scholarships. Moves to Florida to train at CORE Golf Academy. April 5, 2009 May, 2007 Plays second round, shoots a 112. April, 2009 Shoots career best 74 at IJGT event. August, 2008 Decides to take a year off from school. Breaks 80 for first time, firing 79.