2 days ago
Daughter of Michigan State coach makes LPGA debut at Meijer as Monday-qualifier
Daughter of Michigan State coach makes LPGA debut at Meijer as Monday-qualifier
Olivia Stoll got a late start in golf. Not due to lack of opportunity – her mother is longtime Michigan State women's head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll – but simply a lack of interest.
That changed at age 15, and she torpedoed into college golf at Division II's Grand Valley State, where she was a three-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Golfer of the Year. After graduation, Stoll had plans to work at one of the family's three golf courses and spend the winter interning at a course in Naples, Florida. That's still the plan, though after Monday-qualifying for the Meijer LPGA Classic, there might be a detour.
'Going into this I didn't think I really wanted to turn pro because I think the confidence, I didn't have it in my head,' said Stoll. 'I'm going to enjoy this week and see what happens next. This could be a big turning point to push me the extra step to decide to turn pro.'
Stoll opened the Meijer with a 4-over 76 that included an eagle, a birdie, a double and bogeys on five of her last six holes. There's much work left to do to make the weekend at Blythefield Country Club with her father, Jim, on the bag. But it's all about the experience.
Slobodnik-Stoll just wrapped her 28th season at MSU, and since the LPGA first came to Grand Rapids, has brought Olivia out to Blythefield Country Club to watch her Spartans compete in the Meijer. At this year's Monday qualifier, Olivia defeated her good friend, MSU player Taylor Kehoe, in a playoff to earn the spot after both shot 71.
Slobodnik-Stoll said it was clear early on that her daughter had the physical capability to play at a high level, but with a background of more volleyball than golf, it took some time for Olivia to believe it herself. Slobodnik-Stoll would tell Olivia that she hit it as good anyone on her MSU team. And she wasn't sugarcoating anything.
'I'm not just saying this because you're my kid,' she'd tell her. 'I'm telling you this because it's real.'
It's been quite the stretch for Slobodnik-Stoll who, after leading her team to the NCAA Championship, caddied for Brooke Biermann at the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills before returning to Michigan to win her second straight Golf Association of Michigan Mid-Amateur title. It marked Slobodnik-Stoll's 13th GAM Mid-Amateur title overall.
For more than a decade, Olivia watched LPGA players walk the fairways of Blythefield, fueling goals and dreams.
'I always thought that was so cool,' said Olivia during a pre-tournament press conference. 'I was like, wow, I cannot imagine being one of them with all these people watching and just hitting a good shot, and now I'm going to be roles reversed hitting the shots.'
