Deciding where to attend college is arguably one of the hardest decisions a high school student must face.
But for women’s golf freshman and Gainesville native Taylor Tomlinson, her decision to attend the University of Florida wasn’t a hard one to make at all.
"Growing up in Gainesville, just being a Gator all my life, it’s really hard to go anywhere else," Tomlinson said.
A big factor in her decision to become a Gator was the opportunity to stay near the people who know her best: her family.
"I wanted to be somewhere close enough where I can still be by my family, and still be close to them because we are a really tight-knit family," Tomlinson said.
One individual who celebrated her decision to stay in Gainesville was her brother J.D., the senior leader on the men’s golf team.
"I was really happy," he said. "My family is here; it kept her here. … I was really glad she decided to stay.
"She’s always smiling, she’s always energetic, and she knows how to have fun."
But before she could decide where to attend college, Tomlinson was becoming a student-athlete.
At Oak Hall School in Gainesville, Tomlinson was an all-around athlete. She led the golf team in scoring each match during her senior season and represented the school as the individual district champion for four straight years. Her elite level of play had her ranked No. 2 in Florida and No. 10 in Golfweek’s girls’ junior rankings for the Class of 2014.
"For her it’s a lot of firsts, a lot of new experiences," Florida women’s golf coach Emily Glaser said. "We feel like as much as we can get her into those types of situations, and playing and competing, the more comfortable she’ll be."
With her first year as a Gator winding down, Tomlinson has had an excellent opportunity to adjust to the college game by competing in each of the Gators’ tournaments this season, finishing in the top-25 on five occasions.
In February, Tomlinson had the best tournament of her career, completing the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Golf Championship with a three-round score of 4-over-par and a collegiate best sixth-place finish.
"It was really nice to see the results finally come," Tomlinson said. "I’ve been playing pretty well, but the scores haven’t been showing. It really boosted (my) confidence."
While her play can be attributed to a boost of individual confidence, her success has resonated with her teammates as well.
"When she plays well, being only a freshman, it gives the rest of the team a lot of confidence," Glaser said.
Despite Tomlinson’s success on the course, golf is just one of the many sports where she excels.
In high school, Tomlinson also played on the women’s basketball team for four years. During that time, Tomlinson was a catalyst on both offense and defense.
"She wanted the ball at the end of the game," said Eric Ringdahl, Tomlinson’s high school basketball coach. "We wanted her to have the ball at the end of the game."
As a senior, Tomlinson became accustomed to getting the ball, finishing the season with an average of 11.5 points, 1.8 assist, 4 rebounds and 4 steals per game.
Tomlinson ended her basketball career on a high note, as her team won their second district championship in three years. But her play went beyond the stat line and banners.
"It was physical, but also cerebral," Ringdahl said. "They (Taylor and J.D., who also played basketball at Oak Hall) would sit there and watch a team play. They’re watching the tendencies of the other players. A lot of kids don’t do that and they did."
While Ringdahl raved about Tomlinson’s basketball ability, he, along with the rest of the staff at Oak Hall, knew her becoming a collegiate golfer was inevitable.
"Her plan was to go and play at UF," Ringdahl said, "and she never lost sight of that goal."
And while golf and basketball don’t have any direct correlation, Tomlinson said the four years of basketball helped her improve the mental aspect of being an athlete.
"If you make a mistake in basketball you just have to get right back into it," Tomlinson said, "and I think with golf that helps in the sense that if you make a bad shot, you have to refocus as quickly as possible."
Tomlinson has made mistakes. She’s had bad rounds and she has had bad finishes. All golfers do.
But as a freshman, getting acclimated to a new environment and the grind of being a Division I athlete is something that will go a long way in helping her improve as a golfer.
"I can see her being the leader of this team in the future. She brings that kind of quality to our team," Glaser said. "I think it’s exciting for us as coaches to see the future out there."
Follow Justen Rosenberg on Twitter @JustenRosenberg
Taylor Tomlinson putts during the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational at UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course.
