One year ago, Addison Klonowski was a full-time student at Indiana University. She was focused on developing herself outside of the golf course and didn’t face the challenging time constraints of a college student-athlete.
However, when she stepped foot on the course for her first event on the UF women’s golf team, her focus shifted to something perhaps more demanding than a homework assignment or an email to a professor. She rose to the challenge at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, South Carolina, and recorded a T18 finish in her first collegiate competition.
Klonowski attended Indiana University for her first semester of college in Fall 2023. She elected not to join the Hoosiers’ women’s golf team, largely because of her desire to focus on academics while adapting to college life.
“Of course, I wanted to still play golf, but I really wanted to focus on myself my first year [of college],” Klonowski said. “It was a big jump from high school… living on my own and being independent.”
Klonowski had plenty of golfing experience in high school, which left a passion in her heart for the sport. She made appearances at various Florida State Golf Association and American Junior Golf Association tournaments throughout her junior-level career.
Over the course of her first semester at IU, the Naples, Florida, native realized that Indiana wasn’t the right place to develop her golf skills. Klonowski also felt that she would benefit from returning to her home state.
“I didn’t really think that I could grow there… and I wanted to go back to where it’s sunny,” she said. “[I wanted] to look for other schools that would fit my academic and golf goals.”
Florida head coach Emily Glaser had her eyes on Klonowski in high school, but she elected not to offer her a spot on the team due to UF’s limited roster size, she said.
Klonowski applied to UF as a senior in high school with the hopes of being accepted and walking on to the golf team. However, her application was rejected in Spring 2023.
She remained persistent at the beginning of her college journey at Indiana and continued to participate in amateur tournaments to develop her skills. Moreover, she hadn’t given up on her hopes of playing for the Gators.
“I started talking to Coach Glaser in August I believe or the beginning of September and [let her know that] I still really wanted to go to Florida,” Klonowski said.
Klonowski and UF head coach Emily Glaser had conversations in the final months of 2023 resulting in her transferring to Florida in January. She faced unique challenges in her transition as she arrived in between the Fall and Spring seasons.
One notable difficulty was adjusting to a college student-athlete lifestyle and balancing academics along with practice.
“Managing time… [and] having a schedule for everything, I think that was a big jump for me,” Klonowski said. “I started to plan a lot, using a calendar to keep track of things.”
Klonowski eventually decided to redshirt in her first season with the Gators. By doing so, she
gave herself more time to familiarize herself with the team, coaches and Mark Bostick Golf Course, UF’s home course.
Although she didn’t start in Florida’s lineup in Spring 2023, she was still able to gain valuable experience. Klonowski participated in starting qualifiers and became more comfortable with the Gators as the year progressed.
“[I got to] grow and develop as an athlete,” she said. “Also, I got a feel for [academics and the business major] at UF.”
The redshirt freshman has started in every event for the Gators this Fall and played a key role in all three of Florida's top-five finishes in its tournaments this season.
Klonowski’s success at UF can be attributed to her hard work and consistency, Glaser said. Glaser believes that Klonowski has found the right fit at UF, and her commitment and work ethic have contributed to her success on the course.
“She has that drive, desire and certainly consistency,” Glaser said. “She's excited to be here… and I don't think she takes any of that for granted.”
UF redshirt sophomore Karoline Tuttle has known Klonowski since she was at Naples High School. The two often competed against each other in junior tournaments and built a fond relationship.
Tuttle assisted Klonowski through her transition to Florida and saw how Klonowski became more comfortable once she had settled in at her new school and with her new team.
“It’s definitely been cool for me to see… she was quiet and reserved, and now with this year she's definitely opened up and come out of her shell,” Tuttle said. “She’s quieter, but definitely like [Glaser] said, she’s a silent assassin.”
Klonowski’s goal for the rest of this season is to remain focused on the bigger picture, she said. While maintaining a competitive fire on the course is critical, reflecting on just how far she has come in one year will stay at the forefront of her mind.
“Golf is such a hard game, but [I] also just stay in the moment and enjoy everything that I’ve been given in the past year,” she said.
Contact Aiden Wacksman at awacksman@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @aidenwacksman
