After capping off her six-year golfing career at Daviess County High School with a handful of personal bests, Grace Heady has decided to continue playing at Georgetown College.
Heady signed with the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon, when both she and head coach Rachel Lindow reflected on their time together.
Lindow is also leaving to program after five years, and she spoke directly to Heady during the ceremony.
“You have been a leader of the team, even before you were an upperclassmen,” Lindow said. “You were truly a go-getter. I have loved watching you grow and succeed on and off the golf course. You are the perfect example of a star athlete. You have the dedication, the heart and the passion to succeed and be better than you were yesterday.”
Heady’s shining moment of her senior season came at the Owensboro Country Club, where she won the city-county individual title after a one-hole playoff. The Lady Panthers also won as a team.
“Within this year alone, we set a lot of records with city-county wins, an Apollo Invitational win and sweeping regionals,” Heady said. “Having an amazing coach these last six years and seeing how she’s brought this program along has been a great part of being on this team.”
Under Lindow, the team grew from three to 15 players, and Heady was a big part of the successful 2018 campaign that included a region tournament win and state tournament appearance.
Heady said she chose Georgetown after she took an overnight tour, earning a chance to work out with the team and seeing life both as a student and athlete.
She knows there is room to improve, but Heady is ready for the next step of her career.
“From the golf standpoint, being able to adapt to playing the long yardages will be an adjustment,” she said. “The changes of being on your own as a college student is a big thing I’m looking forward to but also kind of nervous about.”
Lindow said Heady’s work ethic will make the transition easy. Lindow said she is looking forward to seeing how far Heady can go.
“I’m jealous of the coach she’s going to have next year,” Lindow said. “Grace is just a hard worker and that’s what all the coaches want in an athlete — dedication, passion and she loves the game. You never have to tell her to practice. She thrives off of pressure. I don’t think she’ll have any trouble. She’s going to shine. She’ll be fine.”
