Mental Prep Puts Pedigo In Good Space Heading Into NCAA Regionals
May 7 | Women's Golf
DALLAS – Kennedy Pedigo knew there was nothing she could do, so she took her dad's advice – go putt.
The SMU women's golf senior had finished her final round at the American Athletic Conference Tournament and knew she sat a stroke back of the overall lead as the final groups concluded their day.
When individual leader Tunrada Piddon of UCF bogeyed 17, Pedigo's dad let her know she was tied for the lead and it might be a good idea to prepare for a possible playoff. So, Pedigo wandered over to the practice green and took a few shots, just to clear her head.
"I think initially I thought after finishing my round, 'Well, that sucks. I feel like I just lost this tournament,'" Pedigo said with a laugh. "Then, when I realized it might go to a playoff, I tried to get my mind off of it and by the time I came back, it was over at that point, which is crazy."
After another bogey by Piddon on 18, Pedigo had pulled one stroke ahead, securing the AAC Tournament's individual title and a spot in the upcoming NCAA Regionals. Pedigo's quest for a berth in the NCAA Championship field begins on Monday at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater. Pedigo is the third SMU women's golfer to claim a conference individual medalist honor, joining jenny Haglund (2014) and Barbara Blackwell (1990 and 1992).
Riding the roller coaster of emotions has become common for Pedigo, especially this season. After a third-place individual finish in the first tournament of the year, Pedigo found herself mentally struggling at points. Over the next eight tournaments, she placed as high as 12th and as low as 75th.
With support from her golf coaches, family and mental coach, Pedigo worked to regain her focus. It all came to a head during the AAC Tournament, when first-year coach Lauren Mason had a quick chat with Pedigo about four holes into the second round.
Mason's advice – if your A-game isn't working, your B-game will do just fine. Mason encouraged her to focus on what was going right and harness it.
Pedigo stated, "That alone probably changed my mind going into the last half of the tournament because my focus was more on how can I do the best that I can with what I have, rather than focusing on what I don't have."
"I was with her three straight days, and every day she had a different strength – but the one constant was her will and desire to get the job done and not give up on herself," Mason said. "That's just a testament to her throughout the entire semester. Her need and want to get better and her need and want to push herself."
The result was the outcome Pedigo had been chasing since she arrived at SMU – a championship. Through her career, Pedigo has nabbed several top five individual finishes, but had never been able to secure that No. 1 spot.
The win guaranteed her a bid to the NCAA Regional field and a chance to compete against the nation's best. Though she's never played Karsten Creek Golf Club, Pedigo walked the course last year with the SMU men's team during their regional. She immediately reached out to fellow senior Noah Goodwin, the NCAA Regional champion at Stillwater last spring, for his advice. She got back paragraphs of intel she's been studying the last few days.
No matter what is working or isn't, Pedigo is in a good space, both physically and mentally. She's eager to play, to overcome, and to have an enjoyable experience. In the end, that's what matters most. Â
"I'm just excited to have fun. I'm excited to have my family out there and just enjoy one of my last college tournaments," Pedigo said. "I think that's something that I really did at conference too. My family was there and going to dinner with them, having dinners with the team and people's parents – I think that in itself was something that I really enjoyed and I always want to have those tournaments be positive memories, whether you play good or bad."
