University of Colorado Athletics
Brooks: Fan's Golf Future Glows For CU Women's Team
April 11, 2015 | Women's Golf, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - Brittany Fan began swinging a golf club when she was 12, and it didn't take long for her to begin speculating that she already was behind. Some of her preteen golfing peers in Hawai'i had taken up the game shortly after they learned to tie their shoes, and given their five- or six-year head start, Fan occasionally caught some mild parental (not hers) grief when she stepped to the tee.
Now a University of Colorado freshman, Fan fits comfortably into the "highly competitive" category, according to Buffs coach Anne Kelly. And that spirit, that drive to succeed began to crystalize in Fan's first year of competition.
"I was playing against other girls the same age but they had started five or six years ahead of me," Fan recalled. "I remember going to the golf course and teeing off where they were teeing off. But I also remember their fathers or mothers telling me, 'Are you sure you want to tee off from there? I think maybe you should hit from up there (closer).'
"Basically they were saying I wasn't good enough to tee off from back there. Those are the kinds of things that drive me. So now I'm hitting it way farther. I'm on the longer side in hitting."
Indeed, her long game stands out among Kelly's bunch and her short game is smoothing out. Her overall development under Kelly and assistant coach Brent Franklin is steady, and as for those snide suggestions shot her way as a kid, powerful drives have obliterated those. She has something most of her former golfing buds lack: "I think I have a pretty deep passion for golf - and that's not something that can be taught."
Which takes us back to how Fan learned golf and her somewhat unorthodox approach to catching up in the sport once she decided it was for her. Growing up in a golfing family in Pearl City, Hawai'i, Fan never was pressured to join her parents or older brother - he now golfs for Air Force - for a weekend round.
"They never tried to force it on me," she said, adding that before age 12 she was "totally opposite of anything athletic. I was into singing, dancing, student government. I'm not sure what happened at age 12; I just kind of curiously wandered upon (golf) and it sparked an interest."
Once she started playing regularly she discovered a natural affinity and passion for the sport. But she believed her improvement wasn't swift enough. Halfway through her junior year in the Kamehameha Schools, she elected to switch to home schooling, signing a contract with the school system that would allow her to graduate but not attend prom or walk in the commencement ceremony.
BEING AS SOCIAL AND OUTGOING as Fan appears to be, missing out on those highlights of high school life might seem a huge sacrifice. But she had targeted loftier goals: she wants to join the LPGA then become the world's top women's golfer.
She now says, "It was definitely worth it because I got to work (on golf) all day and travel more . . . it's been a long journey, lots of hard work, but it's definitely paid off and I don't regret anything about that."
But after receiving her high school diploma in August 2013, she decided her game still needed more work. So she spent most of the next year attending KMR School of Golf in Hawai'i, competing in amateur events on the islands and the mainland. Among her victories was winning the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Match Play Girl Association Championship, the Makalei Invitational Ladies Championship and the Mauna Lani Resort Hawai'i State Open women's amateur division. She earned low amateur honors at the Colorado Women's Open and was the only non-pro to advance to the final round.
Kelly and Franklin first took notice of Fan when Franklin spotted her at an amateur event in Aspen. This was about six years ago, said Kelley. Fan remembers finishing her round, going to the practice range and spying Franklin standing behind her. Fan's score hadn't been that impressive, said Kelly, but "she'd been playing only a short time. (Franklin) liked her and so we kept an eye on her and communicated over the years."
Launching the recruiting process so early isn't one of Kelly's favorite things, but it's become a necessity. "Golf is starting to go the route of volleyball and soccer with these early recruits," she said. "I can't say I'm a big fan of it but it's worked out well so far. It just seemed like a long wait for Brittany because she committed to us back in 2013, then we had to wait the whole extra year. We're glad to finally have her here."
Fan is equally glad. There was a brief acclimation to the Colorado climate, but seeing CU's improving facilities - along with Kelly's and Franklin's tour experience and tutelage - sold her on Boulder. "They were able to see things in my swing that other coaches weren't able to . . . I was like, 'Wow, I didn't even have to tell you; you told me.' And that was exactly what my coach and I were working on.
"When I first got here, things were going pretty well, then I got some bad habits going in my full swing. So I went back home, made a few adjustment. Now it's very neutral, everything's on plane. I'm hitting well. I've also improved, I'd say quite a bit, on my short game. I haven't really changed my swing. I think it's just playing collegiately . . . the coaches have helped me a lot with my putting stroke, which is nice because I used to have a kind of over-the-top, cut kind of stroke. I've been working with them to neutralize it so it's more consistent."
IN HER FIRST COLLEGIATE SEASON, Fan has had five top 20 finishes, including a season-best 14th-place finish in the LSU Tiger Golf Classic last month. She is the only true freshman on CU's roster, and Kelly calls Fan's first year "very good . . . but not up to her standards and I know she's capable of playing much better. There's always an adjustment from junior golf to college golf and to college life. I think she's done an excellent job; she's a great kid to have on your team . . . she's full of enthusiasm."
There's also a composure and steadiness that belie Fan's age. Said Kelly: "Her biggest advantage is that she doesn't seem to get nervous or scared; she just likes to compete. Even if she's not hitting it perfectly she finds a way to score. I think that's her biggest asset . . . she has such an enthusiasm for everything she does. I think that's the key.
"It's reminiscent of (former CU golfer) Emily Talley. I think it's that enthusiasm that is really hard to find in a lot of golfers. But she absolutely loves the sport and loves competing. She loves traveling. It's infectious and it's great to have on the team. There's a lot of good golfers out there, but that's a special quality she has."
Next up for the Buffs is the Silverado Showdown next week in Napa, Calif. It is a prelude to the Pac-12 Women's Championships, which CU will host April 20-22 at the Boulder Country Club.
"I'm super excited about that," Fan said. "It happens once every 12 years. We've got a great group of people who want to come out and watch, a lot of Buffs fans out there. The members (of Boulder Country Club) have been talking about it. I've even talked to some of the maintenance guys who ask, 'Are you ready for the tournament?' It's going to be really exciting."
Later this month, Fan will return to Texas for a second experience in the LPGA Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout. Although she qualified last year as an amateur but missed the cut by a couple of strokes, she said the experience of playing against pros was invaluable and only strengthened her goals of qualifying for the LPGA tour and climbing until there are no more rungs on the ladder.
"That's the goal," Fan said, "and it was there right when I started. My coach back in Hawai'i had us watch a lot of videos, and when I watched professional golfers on TV I would get goose bumps just looking at them winning and holding up the trophies. I had a dream."
Kelly said she can see it taking shape: "I think she can't limit herself because she's a special kid in that way. She's so competitive and compelled by this game, I think she'll find a way to do it."
Laughing, Kelly added, "She just has to stay here four years and then graduate . . . let's make sure she does that."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
