But Bauer, a consistent straight hitter, took an unusually wayward route after turning pro. She did well in the first half of the LPGA Tour Qualifying School last August, but when she came back in October for the second half, she blew up. For the first time in an almost flawless rise to the top, Bauer stumbled. Bauer had left Duke because she felt her game could grow no further there. Maybe it had not grown enough.
Golf is full of rising prodigies who crumble near the top.
Bauer is determined not to be one of them. It was definitely hard once I missed Q School, but I was ready to get back on my horse. Her horse was the Futures Tour. Instead of going back to her Tampa Bay area home to pound balls and wait for the next qualifying school, she's playing against the best young talent and learning from veterans who know the LPGA Tour. If I wasn't playing anywhere, that would be hard.