By Ron Wynn
Though she’s only a junior, it’s not overly optimistic to consider Lauren Artis as a possible future golf star. She’s been competing the past two years on the Hurricane tour, and last weekend competed in prestigious events held at Pebble Beach and Poppy Fields golf courses. Introduced to the sport by her father, Artis took to it naturally, and now enjoys it so much that she doesn’t even blink at the notion that practicing six days a week is a lot of time. She also is already as much into the cerebral aspects of the sport as its physical elements.
“The great thing about golf to me is the variety and the mental challenge,” Artis said this week during an interview. “You have to know so many different things. The strategic aspect comes into play all the time, and every golf course is different and plays differently. In sports like basketball or soccer, there’s a lot of physical involvement, but you are still in the same locale or place all the time. With golf you get to travel, and every course poses something unique, and you have to keep adapting and responding. I really love all that aspect.”
While last week it was the Pure Insurance championship where she competed, future events will range from tournaments held in the Prince Georges Country area where she lives to those held in different municipalities. And though she doesn’t brag about her abilities, she would like to earn a college scholarship in golf, though not sure yet where she wants to go. She also isn’t necessarily ready to chase the dream of being a pro golfer either.
“Well I am really looking forward to attending college, but I really haven’t decided yet about becoming a pro,” she added. “I will certainly play golf my whole life and I learn more about it every day, and really enjoy the challenge. But I am not really totally sure about trying to go pro. I want to keep competing and growing on the current tour, and also see where things take me when I go to college.”
She cites Alexis Thompson and Stacy Lewis, two current LPGA stars, as her favorites on the tour. But who knows, though it is still certainly very early in the game, perhaps one day Lauren Artis will be joining Thompson, Lewis and others while challenging them for LPGA championships. She may also become a role model for young Black girls who will see that it is possible for them to excel in a sport not identified with African Americans, just like Lauren Artis.
