Owensboro Catholic senior Emma Payne will continue her golfing career at Murray State University, as she signed with the Racers during a ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Payne started golfing around the time she began 6th grade, and making it to the collegiate level has been a goal since day one.
“It means so much,” Payne said. “This is my dream, and I’ve reached it. I’ve got many more and I’m hoping to succeed with those, but for right now this is my dream and I finally got it. Being able to play Division I is the best thing I could ever do.”
Payne was successful throughout her time with the Lady Aces, making five trips to the KHSAA state tournament. She also won the individual region championship in both her junior and senior seasons, also finishing in the top five at the All-A Classic state tournament in both of those years.
Catholic head coach Stacey Johnson had nothing but high praises for Payne.
“She’s meant absolutely everything,” Johnson said. “There were a couple rough years (for the program), and she’s one of the main reasons I stuck around as a coach. Seeing her potential and her drive and her dedication was honestly my motivation, which is kind of crazy for a coach to be motivated by a player.”
Johnson said Payne’s success stems from her drive to always get better, and it helped set the tone for the rest of the team.
“She works harder than anybody I have ever met in my entire life,” Johnson said. “She led mainly by example — showing that if you want something you’ve got to go for it and work for it. She was out on the golf course from sunup to sundown in the summer, and then after school she was out there every single day.”
Payne said seeing her results over the years kept her in the right mindset to always strive for more.
“I worked so hard because of the way it made me feel,” she said. “Being good at something and knowing that I can be successful in this sport really drove me.”
Payne made her decision to sign with Murray State in October after a visit to the campus with the MSU coaches and team.
She’s knows the competition will be tougher, but Payne is excited to take the next step in her golfing career.
“It’s going to be challenging,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot different. I know they work out a lot and work hard. I’m ready to be able to do that with them and see how far it can take me.”
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