Anybody who has been through the grind of Q-school is aware going in of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that can, and probably will, strike in the quest for career upward mobility.
That’s the game, but you don’t expect Q-school misfortune to strike before you even tee it up. Such was the case for Angela Buzminski of Oshawa, Ont., as she prepared for LPGA Tour Q-school last week.
The LPGA/Futures Tour veteran started to feel the effects of what she thought was a cold as she drove up to Daytona Beach from her residence in West Palm Beach, Fla. The symptoms got stronger in the days leading up to Q-school at LPGA International.
“I was in bed all day in Tuesday. I played a practice round on Monday and I played one on Sunday. I’ve played those golf courses a bunch of times,” said Buzminski, who was actually suffering from the flu. “I just figured I’d stay in bed all day and try to get some energy back.”
“On Wednesday morning (the first day of Q-school), from the time the alarm went off to the time I took my shower, got dressed, went to the golf course and tried to warm up, it’s all a blur,” she said.
“I thought there’s no way I’m going to make it through three holes, let alone 18, plus another four rounds after that,” said Buzminski, adding that “it broke my heart” to not even start at Q-school.
“On the Futures Tour, we mostly play three rounds, plus we have one tournament that’s four rounds and, not to diminish the meaning of a tournament, but as much as you try to make Q-school just like any other tournament, it’s not, no matter how you slice it,” she said.
“I knew I wasn’t going to even be 60 per cent of what I needed to be to make it through that week. Was I hitting it well enough? Was I confident in my game? Absolutely,” said Buzminski, adding that it’s out of character for her to not even start.
“I’ve played sick before. I’ve played hurt before, but it hurt having to do that,” said Buzminski, who is uncertain about 2012, which at this point looks to consist mostly of Futures Tour events.
She says she’s like to get to Canada to play some CN Canadian Women’s Open events, but it will depend on finances and whether she can land additional sponsors.
“I miss playing at home. Every Canadian that I’ve ever met at tournaments down here, they were just gung-ho and fanatical about us professionals. It’s cool,” she says, before pointing out the economic reality of extended travel next year.
“Last year was just brutal. Life has its ups and downs and it’s been down the past couple of years,” she said of her expenses vs income.
“Obviously, that’s gone through my head, especially as stressful as last year was. It was like, `Oh my God, I can’t do this to myself,’ and the stress alone, besides playing golf, was incredible,” she said, adding that she isn’t giving up.
“I have sent so many e-mails out (to potential sponsors) and I’m not even a quarter of the way through my list,” she said.
“The more I think about it, I still thing I’ve got a few good years of golf left and honestly, I don’t think I’ve played to the level that I’m capable of playing,” said Buzminski.
