Ani Gulugian is focused on the future in two respects.
First and foremost, there is earning a 2016 LPGA card, which comes with finishing in the top 10 on the 2015 Epson Tour. In the California native’s first season as a professional, she has recorded two finishes in the top seven (fourth at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic and T7 at the Epson Classic) early on to gain a position within the top 25 money earners.
The second goal may need a bit more legwork and requires a distinct look back at her family history to gain some perspective.
Gulugian is of Armenian descent, from the central Eurasian country bordered on the west by Turkey, the north by Georgia and the south by Iran. Her grandfather emigrated from Armenia nearly 100 years ago after he and his sister were the only two of nine siblings to survive the Armenian Genocide, which began in full force in 1915 and claimed up to 1.5 million Armenian lives. Turkish officials from the majority Muslim population aimed to eliminate the Christian Armenians in the second-most studied case of genocide after the Holocaust.
“My grandfather refused to talk about it and his sister only talked about it as she got very old,” Gulugian said. “I have studied a tremendous amount about my family history. My brother and I went to a private Armenian school in California through the fifth grade. I read, write and speak Armenian, but my parents don’t. I was supposed to take a visit there when I was in the fourth grade, but the 9-11 attacks canceled the trip.”
Gulugian wants to visit Armenia for the first time sometime soon, possibly this year. She was invited to compete in the Pan-Armenian Games in Georgia this summer, but it doesn’t fit in with her Epson Tour schedule in late summer. She has also considered playing in the 2016 Brazil Summer Olympics as an Armenian. Armenia, a mountainous country, established its first golf course in 2005, a nine-holer.
“I’m conflicted on what to do,” Gulugian said. “There are so many factors to consider. I’m not sure what I will do until later this summer.”
Her grandfather settled in Southern California and Ani grew up in Irvine. She learned the game as a youngster when she followed along with her father to the course. Her father, John, learned golf from an uncle who was an executive at Disney. After taking lessons as an 8-year-old, Ani became a junior star and earned a spot as a 16-year-old on the 2009 Junior Solheim Cup team, which was captained by Nancy Lopez and featured current LPGA players Jessica Korda, Jennifer Johnson, Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee. She also qualified for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Open.
“That was an epic year in golf for me,” Gulugian said. “Alison is like a little sister to me and when we played in Bradenton on the Epson Tour this year, we stayed at Jessica’s house.”
That season led to a scholarship at UCLA, where she was on the 2011 NCAA Championship team, and to a 2014 degree in History. Her brother Ari will be following a similar path this fall when he enrolls at the University of Arizona.
The current path calls for traveling by car throughout her rookie year on the Epson Tour.
“At the start of the year, I was getting used to traveling and playing for money,” Gulugian said. “Now, I have a little better feel for it. I’m more comfortable.
“But I’m constantly reminding myself to stay patient. I’m constantly working to better myself mentally. The toughest thing at this level of play is mental, and that includes coping off the course. I’m not afraid to ask questions of someone who’s been there before.”
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