16 Year Old Golfer Shoots Career Best 63

FARMERS BRANCH, TX - Like so many youngsters, 16 year old Talia Campbell is spending a lot of her time this summer playing golf. Last week at the Dallas City Junior Championship, Campbell may have surprised herself after she shot a 9-under par 63.

"Oh wow, it's how golf should be played," says Talia. "It was easy. Just hit the fairway, hit the green, get a two putt or a one putt, it was really enjoyable."

Campbell won the City of Dallas open division, ages 16 through 18. Her three day performance included rounds of 63, 72 and a 69.

"At first i thought, that's like a birdie and par every other hole, and then I realized it was my lowest round by at least five strokes," she said. "It was actually my first time to break 70 in a tournament.

That's not bad for someone who switched from soccer to golf in seventh grade just four years ago. "I think i was just burned out of soccer so that window was open," says Talia.

"Talia is definitely a future super star in the making," says Mike Kiesling, director of golf at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch. "You have a young golfer, especially a female, and if you want to see how it's done, come watch Talia play."

Campbell will be a junior at Ursuline Academy of Dallas where she helped her golf team win back to back TAPPS State Championships. She also won individual medalist honors this year. Her short game has been her biggest improvement.

"It has," she says. "I've really been putting in a lot more time effort this past year, just because that's what I was lacking the most last summer and it's really been coming around as my scores show."

"From a junior golf perspective, there's not a lot of kids with the work ethic that I see in Talia," says Kiesling. "She's here rain or shine or snow. You name it, Talia is out here practicing.

Campbell has won numerous tournaments including an AJGA tournament in Michigan where she will defend her title next week. She just missed qualifying for the US Women's Amateur by two strokes in Houston this week, but considering she's only 16, her opportunities are just beginning.