Lee-Bentham ready to begin college chapter with Women's Golf
Sept. 12, 2010
When the Texas Women’s Golf team opens its 2010-2011 campaign at the NCAA Fall Preview on Monday, Sept. 13, it will be seeing some of the toughest competition it will face all year. Of the 18 participating teams, 13 competed in last year’s NCAA Championship. Adding a little early-season drama, the tournament will be played at the Traditions Club which is the home course of Big 12 Conference and in-state rival Texas A&M. Rebecca Lee-Bentham’s collegiate golfing career could not open on a bigger stage. However, the pressures of the first tournament of the season don’t seem to worry the soft-spoken freshman from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. Fellow Canadian Nicole Vandermade went through the same new experiences just two years ago when she arrived on the Forty Acres, and she’s prepared Lee-Bentham in the ways of the college golf circuit. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about college golf from Nicole and how it’s so much fun to play at a big-time school like The University of Texas. Nicole and I know it’s a lot different and nobody really follows college sports in Canada, so this new chapter in my career at UT is very special to me,” Lee-Bentham said. “I’m excited for this week, and hopefully I play well and do well for the team.” Lee-Bentham is no stranger to tough competition. She joins the Longhorns after establishing herself as one of the top junior golfers in Canada and has already squared off against some of the best golfers in the world, competing in several worldwide amateur events. In addition to winning the 2010 Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship, she played in this summer’s U.S. Amateur Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open, and most recently, the LPGA CN Canadian Women’s Open. Lee-Bentham anticipates that this wealth of experience will be a great asset for her as she enters collegiate competition next week.
“It definitely gives me confidence that I know I can play well against top players, having gotten the chance to play those events and just see what it’s like to play in highly competitive tournaments,” Lee-Bentham added. Confidence in Lee-Bentham from fourth-year Texas head coach Martha Richards certainly isn’t lacking, either. “Rebecca has a wonderful golf swing and she’s very solid in her mechanics. She’s played at a very high level and has shot some fantastic numbers,” Richards said upon signing Lee-Bentham to a National Letter of Intent in 2009. “She will help us build upon the foundation of our last two recruiting classes at Texas, and I anticipate her making big contributions to our program.” For Richards, Lee-Bentham’s big contributions could begin right out of the gate. For Lee-Bentham, that doesn’t seem like much of a stretch given her experiences over the last few months. “Just getting those experiences have helped me so much to prepare for this year,” Lee-Bentham said. “I’m ready to go, and I can’t wait to tee it up as a Longhorn for the first time.” |
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