New clubs, injury recovery and Golf Fore Africa fill former Sooners plate in advance of Q3
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Arizona, California and Florida are just a few of the destinations that Kendall Dye (Edmond, Oklahoma) has visited since the end of the 2017 Epson Tour season, as well as spending plenty of time in her home state.
“It was good for me to do other things than swing a golf club,” said the former University of Oklahoma standout.
On a recent trip to Phoenix, Dye was fitted for 11 new golf clubs from Ping. Even with the quick turnaround before Final Stage, they grabbed her attention from the moment she first tested them.
“I think I’m putting them directly into my bag,” said Dye. “I thought I would wait until after Q- School, but they are too good not to play immediately.”
She’s also squeezed in a stop to Norman for an Oklahoma football game, a short journey to Naples to catch the CME Group Tour Championship, and of course, a quick practice round for Q3 in Daytona Beach.
But perhaps the most fulfilling cross-country expedition was to California where Dye spent a week working Golf Fore Africa events. Part of her time in Phoenix was also devoted to meetings and festivities for the organization, which Dye is the newest ambassador and board member for.
Golf Fore Africa partners with World Vision, the largest non-government provider of clean water, and has raised more than $8 million for the people of Zambia to experience a sanitary drinking source.
“I’m surrounded by some of the best people I know and our mission is the best work I will ever be able to do,” said Dye. “I have a personal goal of raising $50,000 by the end of the year for a solar mechanized system, which will give a medical clinic and many more communities, clean water.”
Her vision really puts life into perspective, and while Dye has been busy working toward her fundraising goal, she has another goal of getting back to the LPGA.
Dye earned her LPGA card for 2015 based on her performance and final position on the Epson Tour money list in 2014. The dream is to get back to the big stage.
“It’s a marathon of golf and I have learned that you cannot get too high or too low,” said Dye, regarding the Final Stage. “Making pars and birdies is the name of the game. I’ve already had
plenty of rounds on the courses so I’m not going to kill myself with over-practicing and playing just before the tournament.”
Another reason rest is necessary: Dye spent a majority of the year playing with a broken left foot. Even so, she battled her way to five top 10 finishes and a victory at the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Ind. It was right around that time (early June) when everything came to light on the injury front.
The week of her win, Dye had an X-ray, which came back negative. A few weeks later, Dr. Brock Schnebel, an orthopedic surgeon in the greater Oklahoma City area who works closely with the University of Oklahoma, scheduled an MRI for Dye. Results revealed complete shattering of the second, third and fourth metatarsals in the left foot.
“I was in severe pain for several months,” Dye said. “I didn’t want to put attention to my injury because I still played well through the pain and I’m all better now.”
A broken foot could not even stop Dye from finishing 13th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2017 and advancing directly to Stage III of Q-School. Overall, she earned $52,556 and made 16 cuts in 22 events played.
Dye never missed a tournament this year, and after wearing Hoka shoes instead of golf shoes, she has worked her health back to 100 percent. Throw in the fact that her game has been on point even through the injury and there is a whole new set of Ping clubs waiting to be played, Dye has all the tools and confidence to find success at Q3.
“I am playing a different ball game with them,” said Dye. “I am beyond excited about what distance and accuracy these clubs have given me in the last few weeks, all the dreamy numbers and shot shapes.”
To learn more about Golf Fore Africa and donate to Dye’s cause visit: https://4agc.com/landing_pages/8abc9229-1fa4-4469-9465-6657a7fa3ad3#.WguzvXpOmfD
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