Freshman golfer took long journey to reach Aggieland

Czech Republic native Katerina Ruzickova had to take an English vocabulary class in her first year at Texas A&M.

Each day Ruzickova would pick out a couple of words and practice using them as often as possible in everyday conversation to better remember the meaning.

"Those words I would probably not use in regular [conversation]," Ruzickova said. "They were like essay writing words. Even now the girls ask, 'Is that English you are studying.'"

The girls are her Aggie golf teammates, who would ask Ruzickova to define certain words she had just mixed into a sentence while practicing on the driving range.

One of those words on her notecards could have easily been forbearance -- the capacity of enduring hardship or inconvenience without complaint.

Ruzickova could have defined it through first-hand experience, after moving from Ostrava to Phoenix as a 17-year-old to finish school and play golf.

"Back home it is really hard to be successful in sports and then in anything else," Ruzickova said. "It's either school or something else. You always have to sacrifice."

With help from her brother Marek, who was going to school in New Mexico, Ruzickova enrolled in Xavier Prep as an exchange student. Xavier is known for its academics and having one of the most successful golf programs in the United States.

It more than worked out in Ruzickova's junior year, her first at Xavier. Her team won the state championship, and Ruzickova won the individual champion, beating teammate Kimberly Kim who is now on the LPGA Tour.

The second year wasn't as easy.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association allows exchange students to participate in athletics for only one year, which meant Ruzickova's parents would have to move to the United States for her to continue playing golf at Xavier.

Ruzickova stayed at Xavier, worked on her GPA and her game, but her parents remained in the Czech Republic. She practiced and played in tournaments with the team, but her scores did not count

"It's usually only one year an exchange student comes for anyway, but it is where I wanted to graduate from, so I wanted to come back for the next year," Ruzickova said. "It was kind of hard because I wanted to keep playing competitive golf. I could have been really upset about it and disappointed and depressed, but we said this is what it is, we cannot break rules and let's make the best of it."

Having no AJGA experience and missing out on her senior season, Ruzickova found herself once more looking for a way to take the next step.

Again her brother took the initiative.

He emailed several Division I women's golf coaches with his sister's resume, which includes playing for the Czech Republic national team as a junior. Most responded by saying they had no scholarship money remaining for players in Ruzickova's class.

Ruzickova saw her chances of playing college golf growing smaller and smaller until Marek's email reached A&M head coach Trelle McCombs.

"I was the first one to respond, literally responded within 4 minutes of receiving it, thinking this kid is good," McCombs said. "She had so much worldly experience."

Ruzickova visited Denver and Texas Tech with her last visit at A&M.

"I'd never heard of Texas A&M," Ruzickova said. "Coach called right away and said she was really interested, and then I saw the [school's] webpage. I saw the 12th Man and the football game on it and thought this is going to be it. The first day I came I really liked the people around here, really friendly, and I love the facility, so I said that's it."

Ruzickova didn't play or walk the course on her visit because it was closed, seeing only a couple of holes from afar.

She soon had her inauguration to Traditions Club.

Ruzickova's first tournament was at Traditions in the NCAA Fall Preview, which boasted a field that included almost all of the Top 20 teams. After winning the qualifier for the Aggies, Ruzickova shot 76-78-73--227 for 59th place.

"She hadn't been here for a couple of weeks," McCombs said. "Learning the golf course and the introduction to college golf playing the best field in country had a lot to do with [the high scores]. I'm sure some had to do with wanting to impress everyone. It's a huge spotlight to play in your own back yard."

Ruzickova has been impressing ever since.

She's finished no worse than 30th since the Fall Preview, posting two top 10s to start the spring season. In April at Half Moon Bay G.C. in California, she won the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate hosted by Wyoming University.

"We kept seeing it all semester, and we knew she would win at some point," McCombs said. "It was just a matter of when was it going to happen. When was she going to be patient enough to allow it to happen instead of going out and forcing everything?"

Ruzickova matched her collegiate low in the final round of the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate with a 69, passing second-round leader and fellow freshman teammate Natalie Reeves. An eagle on a par-4 and birdie on the final hole gave her a two-stroke victory over Oregon's Ashley Edwards.

"I remember the girls the week of the tournament say, 'This field is easy. This is your tournament. Seriously, you should win now,'" Ruzickova said. "I had no clue I had a chance to win [after finishing]. It was a good feeling, but I didn't say you can't tease me now. I wasn't cocky or anything."

Ruzickova never had a ranking in U.S. junior golf, but her title and third-place finish at the Big 12 tournament have moved her up to 29th in the NCAA rankings and have the Aggies in position to make the NCAA tournament, which will be at Traditions Club on May 18-21. To get there the Aggies must finish in the top eight at this week's West Regional at Washington's National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.

It won't be easy, however, for the Aggies are seeded ninth in the 24-team field.

"We feel like we have really good momentum this spring and we are going to take it to the next step forward," Ruzickova said. "If we do what we're supposed to do, what we've been doing this spring, it should be no problem making it to the nationals."

What: NCAA Women's Golf West Regional

Where: University of Washington's National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.

When: May 5-7

Who: 24 teams, 8 qualify for NCAA Championship.

No. 9 seed A&M's lineup: Senior Sarah Zwartynski; sophomores Susy Grunden and Sarah Beth Davis; and freshmen Katerina Ruzickova and Natalie Reeves.