Former Kent State golfer hoping to earn LPGA card by 2010 season

When former Kent State golfer and Duramed Futures Tour member Kira Meixner met with women’s golf coach Mike Morrow at the Flashes’ Golf Training and Learning Center yesterday afternoon, the scene was all too familiar. Meixner was asking for pointers, and Morrow was happy to advise.

“Some of the highlights of coaching is when you get to see some of the ex-players come back, and it brings back so many good memories,” Morrow said. “Those four years really go by so fast.”

Meixner, who returned to Kent after competing in last weekend’s iMPACT Invitational, said it was nice to visit her former coach and teammates.

“It was great to see my friends,” Meixner said. “I have a lot of great relationships with my old teammates, and I wanted to show that I’m still supporting the team.”

After graduating from Kent State in 2008, Meixner earned a spot on the Futures Tour, the official developmental tour for the LPGA Tour, by finishing in fifth place at a sectional qualifier in the fall. Golfers who finish in the top 30 are granted full exempt status for the entire schedule of the Futures Tour if they choose.

Although Meixner said joining the tour is a great experience, she has decided to only compete in its first four tournaments, as she has prior commitments to the Canadian National Amateur Team beginning at the end of May.

Meixner will also be competing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the Ladies British Amateur Championship this summer. She finished in the top 16 of both tournaments last year.

Meixner, winner of the British Columbia Women’s Amateur Championship in 2007 and 2008, said she attributes much of her success to her time at Kent State.

“I learned so much from being a part of the Kent State golf team and my coach,” she said. “I learned so much from him, and he’s really helped me get ready to play at the next level and given me the ability to do that.”

In her career at Kent State, Meixner placed first at three tournaments, including the 2007 Mid-American Conference Championship. She was also a MAC First Team selection in her final three years of collegiate competition.

“Her progress was just so fast,” Morrow said. “She was easy to teach and had a lot of athletic ability, and she applies it very well.”

Next year, Meixner has her sights set on obtaining the official card to enter the LPGA Tour after Q-School – the annual tournament used to qualify for the professional tour.

“I hope to improve my finishes at some of the amateur events, like the US-Am and the Canadian-Am, and play really well this summer in preparation for qualifying school,” she said. “But my main goal is to be on the LPGA Tour by 2010.”

Morrow said he has the utmost confidence in his former golfer’s approach to the professional tour.

“The athletic talent is there, (and) her mental approach is there,” he said. “She’s a very confident young lady, and she’s a very composed athlete. She has all the tools to be successful at the next level.”

Contact sports reporter Caleb Raubenolt at [email protected].