New Bern golfer commits to Coastal Carolina

By Adam Thompson

Sun Journal Staff

With several colleges in pursuit of golfer Tatum Briele, the New Bern High School senior had a choice to make.

Briele could either walk-on at North Carolina or North Carolina State, or instead accept a scholarship offer from North Carolina-Wilmington, Appalachian State or High Point.

Instead, she jumped on an opportunity to go to a school that would take her to the next level.

Last week, Briele verbally agreed to play golf at Coastal Carolina University, just a 10-minute drive from Myrtle Beach.

"I've been talking to a whole bunch of schools," Briele said. "I didn't really want to go to Carolina or State and walk-on. I feel like I will have a better chance to step up my game at Coastal and make an impact."

Coastal Carolina wasn't too high on Briele's radar, until her mother Kim did some research on the internet.

According to Briele, her mother was reading golf magazines when she ran across the name Eileen "Beans" Kelly.

Kelly was on the LPGA Tour and golf coach at the University of Georgia, where she won seven Southeastern Conference Championships in 15 years.

"She showed up at one of my tournaments all the way in Virginia," Briele said. "She then watched me play in every tournament over the summer. She is pretty much the main reason. I feel like she can help me take my game to the next level. She has the potential to help me and has shown a lot of interest in me."

Briele can't officially sign with Coastal Carolina until Nov. 11. She plans on golfing for the Chanticleers in the fall of 2009.

The day after Briele committed to Coastal Carolina last week, Briele competed in a national junior golf qualifier.

Briele admitted the pressure was off, so she fired a 69 at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club on the first day of qualifying.

"Before I committed, when there were coaches out there, I would get so nervous," Briele said. "So yeah, I think it took off a little bit of pressure."

Briele tallied seven birdies in one of her best rounds, en route to her 69.

"When I had to qualify, that was the first round that I really shot in the 60s," Briele said. "I had seven birdies. I kind of take it three holes at a time. If I have a bad hole, I just see how low I can go in the next three holes. It is like I am starting over every three holes."

On the second day of qualifying, Briele shot a 77, securing a place in the Big I Tournament field.

The Big I is a junior national tournament for golfers between the ages of 13-18. The tournament last week was held at Pinehurst Country Club, where 168 top golfers in the country came together compete in the nation's largest junior stroke-play golf tournament.

"It was pretty cool," Briele said. "You get your own name on you locker. It is pretty high up there, you get a lot of stuff when you register. It was pretty big."

Briele was unable to make the cut. She carded an 83 on the first day and a 79 on the second day.

Briele said that her putting was the downfall.

"If I would have putted better, I wouldn't have had any problem making the cut," she said. "I just didn't putt very well."

Despite the outcome, Briele knows this type of competition is one she is going to see often in college.

"It is extremely competitive," Briele said. "I think this is pretty much as competitive as it is going to get for me until I get to college. It is pretty intense, there is not a whole lot of talking going on during rounds."

Briele also played in a qualifier for the American Junior Golf Association on Sunday. She missed the cut with an 87.

In just a couple weeks, Briele will turn her focus toward her final season for New Bern. She has high expectations for the team, which also includes teammate Caroline Ellington.

"I think we have a really good chance of winning state because we have Caroline and her game has improved tremendously," Briele said. "We are real excited about this year about the chance of winning state."

Adam Thompson can be reached at (252) 635-5670 or at athompson@freedomenc.com.