* Editor's Note: A previous version of this story ran online at alligatorSports.org on Monday, Sept. 17.
For Isabelle Lendl and her four sisters, shopping was never an option.
“My parents’ worst fear was to have my sisters and me around the mall,” Lendl said. “Girls can get into a lot of trouble and my parents didn’t want that to happen. We had a rule that you had to pick a sport and do it.”
Lendl followed the path of her father, former World No. 1 tennis player Ivan Lendl, by choosing tennis to occupy her time. Shortly after realizing the excessive amount of running the game required, Isabelle turned to a less adrenaline-packed sport: golf.
“After playing tennis, I didn’t like the running,” Lendl said. “Afterwards, I’d go to the golf course in the afternoon with my father. Eventually I told him I wanted to go in the mornings as well. That’s how my passion for golf started.”
What started as a plan by Lendl’s parents to keep their daughters active eventually sparked a productive amateur career.
In 2004, 12-year-old Lendl was the youngest player to qualify for the 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2006, she earned three American Junior Golf tournament victories and was chosen as a member of the United States team in the 2006 Junior Tyder Cup, where she went 2-0 to help the U.S. earn a 6-6 tie.
Her success in competitive play came as no surprise.
Her father captured eight Grand Slam singles titles, including a historic victory against John McEnroe in the 1984 French Open.
For Isabelle, her father’s familiarity with the mental aspect of sports has played a major role throughout her career.
“He’s more of a mental side that I can bounce things off,” Lendl said. “I can tell him if I feel nervous about something and ask him how he handled a situation when he felt nervous about it. He’s kind of like a built-in Google.”
Two of Isabelle’s sisters also played golf in the SEC. Marika Lendl, who played at UF, tallied a 74.17 stroke average during her junior season, second-lowest on the team.
Isabelle’s younger sister, Daniela Lendl, is a sophomore at Alabama. She competed against Florida in the Cougar Classic Sept. 9-11, carding a career-best 226 (+10) 54-hole total.
In her four-year career at Florida, Lendl has earned All-Southeastern Conference Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team honors.
She secured the first win of her Florida career on Tuesday, shooting a 210 (-6) at the Dale McNamara Invitational.
Lendl hopes her two strong outings to open the season generate momentum for the rest of the year.
“It’s nice to show myself that among the best teams in the country I can finish high,” Lendl said after posting a -4 to claim fifth place as part of Florida’s winning effort in the Cougar Classic. “I think winning a tournament, you always build confidence. It’s nice to have a win right out of the gate and show ourselves as a team that we can do it.”
