Crow commits to play golf at Pembroke

HAVELOCK - All the pressure rolled off Jennifer Crow's shoulders when she signed to play golf for UNC-Pembroke Sunday.

After weighing offers from numerous colleges throughout the region, the senior golfer decided Pembroke was the best place for her to spend the next four years.

"There was a lot of stress," Crow said. "There's so much pressure off me, it's incredible."

Crow made her decision after attending a UNC-Pembroke football game earlier this fall. She enjoyed the pre-game atmosphere and the energy within the campus.

"I think it was just the overall atmosphere," she said, "just the fact that there was so much going on there, a little bit more than some of the other colleges."

Crow advanced to the 1A/2A/3A state tournament all four years at Havelock. She placed seventh in the state as a junior and 14^th this year.

The highlight of her high school golfing career came in October, when she won the regional tourney for the first time in her career. Crow defeated Amanda D'Ostroph from Union Pines in a sudden-death playoff to earn match-medalist honors.

"The regional went amazing," she said. "I can't even describe it almost."

It's hard for Crow to remember a time when golf didn't play a major role in her life. Her father handed her a plastic set of golf clubs around the time she started walking, and Crow was playing in tournaments by the age of 5.

But it wasn't until she entered high school at Havelock that she began taking the game seriously.

"Once I started getting into high school and started to see where I could go with golf, I started to get a lot more into it," Crow said. "I've always had a love for the game. But I think after my freshman year, that love for the game escalated a lot more."

Approaching graduation this spring, Crow recently began to consider what she could accomplish in the future. She always dreamed of playing professionally but never really took the thought seriously - that is, until recently.

After signing her papers on Sunday, she decided four years of hard work at Pembroke might just lead her to the ultimate goal of playing in the LPGA Tour.

"When I was a kid, I used to always think about going pro," Crow said. "But as far as making a serious decision, I think I actually decided that about three days ago."

 Crow knows it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, but she's willing to put forth the effort. After all, she's not feeling any pressure anymore.

Jess Huffman can be reached at (252) 635-5669 or at jhuffman@freedomenc.com.