(Photo by the USGA)When asked if she was surprised about her position on the leaderboard, O'Toole quickly replied, "No."
"I work hard and I've come a long way in my game," said O'Toole, whose coach, David Bartman, is caddying for her this week. "Coming out here on Monday and Tuesday, I knew that this course just set up great for me, and that all I could really do is keep my nerves under control and just play my game."
The three-time winner on the Future's Tour, a product of UCLA, made her
big-stage debut when she was cast on the Golf Channel's The Big Break
Sandals Resort in 2010.
"The Big Break was a great experience," said O'Toole. "I tell a lot of girls, 'Do it. Sign up for it. It's two weeks of your life that actually will end up changing it.'"
The reality show, she says, helped her gain fan support and prepared her for the endless weather delays that have plagued the Open this year.
"The show provides you fans that come out and support you," said O'Toole. "As a rookie trying to get my name out there, especially when I'm around Paula Creamer, Yani, and all the crowds cheering their name, when they recognize me and ask for my autograph, it just kind of builds me up and makes me feel important.
"The Big Break also taught me how to hit shots in a moment. Perfect example: when you get called off to go back out, it's like, 'Hey, I remember this. I warmed up on The Big Break, had to sit for 45 minutes until the camera crew got ready, and then I got to hit one shot."
O'Toole's preparations for this week have worked wonderfully. As she pounded her drive straight down the fifth fairway, one man asked another, "So, do you think she come's with AA or AAA batteries?"
(Related: I wrote about O'Toole two days ago.)
--Ashley Mayo
"The Big Break was a great experience," said O'Toole. "I tell a lot of girls, 'Do it. Sign up for it. It's two weeks of your life that actually will end up changing it.'"
The reality show, she says, helped her gain fan support and prepared her for the endless weather delays that have plagued the Open this year.
"The show provides you fans that come out and support you," said O'Toole. "As a rookie trying to get my name out there, especially when I'm around Paula Creamer, Yani, and all the crowds cheering their name, when they recognize me and ask for my autograph, it just kind of builds me up and makes me feel important.
"The Big Break also taught me how to hit shots in a moment. Perfect example: when you get called off to go back out, it's like, 'Hey, I remember this. I warmed up on The Big Break, had to sit for 45 minutes until the camera crew got ready, and then I got to hit one shot."
O'Toole's preparations for this week have worked wonderfully. As she pounded her drive straight down the fifth fairway, one man asked another, "So, do you think she come's with AA or AAA batteries?"
(Related: I wrote about O'Toole two days ago.)
--Ashley Mayo
