A little pat on the back helps. Just ask Lacey Agnew, the fifth-year pro on the Epson Tour.

The 27-year-old Jonesboro, Ga., native knows the rigors of competitive sports. She earned 10 letters during her high school athletic career at Woodward Academy in suburban Atlanta, leading the private school War Eagles to three state golf titles and regional championships in basketball with a sprinkling of softball and volleyball.

But golf became the focus as college decisions came and the motivational tool of positive reinforcement was the best way to extract maximum performance.

“Even as a young girl, nobody said I didn’t have what it takes, that I have this natural talent,” she said. “It’s never about the mechanical stuff when somebody is teaching me. It’s about all of these people who have helped me, who didn’t necessarily know me that well, who believed in me and said, ‘You can do it.’ ”

Agnew is making headway this season as a member of the Epson Tour, highlighted by a career-best tie for second in mid-May at the Mission Health Wellness Classic in Asheville, N.C. “That finish allowed me to get a head start unlike previous years,” she said. Agnew points a finger back at those who have helped make her dream come true.

One of the first to offer support was Leigh Ann Mills. A former LPGA player, she served a six-month stint as an assistant golf coach at Florida State in 2009. Agnew was entering her senior year in Tallahassee, coming off three seasons where she failed to break par in any tournament. Mills helped change Agnew’s grip from 10-finger to a standard golf grip and encouraged her to believe in herself. The first tournament of the season, Agnew shot 1-under and followed that with a 7-under 65 – tying the school record – in the same day. As captain of the Lady Seminoles, she led the team to the school’s best NCAA finish, 10^th, and earned all-ACC honors in 2010.

“What she did is she just believed in me a little bit,” Agnew said. “There were a few little fundamental things, including the grip, but nothing with the golf swing. It’s amazing what an outside source believing in you can do for your confidence.”

That confidence built upon the lessons learned from her father, Rev. Wes Agnew, an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Jonesboro. He played casually and encouraged Lacey to take up the sport at age 12. She struggled at first but stuck with it long enough to play her first 18-hole round in a competitive match as a freshman at Woodward Academy. He even had the insight to take Lacey’s first professional check of $800 for a runner-up finish at the 2011Georgia Women’s Open and blow it up into an oversized check reminiscent of the movie “Happy Gilmore.”

Agnew’s professional aspirations have been further enhanced by two more famous names.

She began working with instructor Todd Anderson at Sea Island, Ga., four years ago. Anderson instructs Billy Horschel and other prominent players, but gave another reassuring assessment. On multiple occasions, she visited Anderson’s son, Tucker, who suffered a head injury in a September 2012 car wreck, when he was rehabilitating at the renowned Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

“I really value (Anderson) as a person,” Agnew said. “At the end of one of our first lessons, I asked him to tell me if I have got what it takes. I asked him to be honest because I can reassess my career if I need to. He told me that my raw talent and ability beats just about any female he had seen, but that I had to work hard to fine tune it.”

A continuing positive role model comes from World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez. Agnew first met Lopez in high school through a church friend who knew the Cathy family, the founders of Chic-fil-A. She has played in Lopez’s pro-ams over the years and chats with the former LPGA star on occasion, most recently during her good play at the Asheville tournament.

“We just kind of hit it off,” Agnew said. “I see her every year at her pro-am and hear from her from time to time. She’s an incredible lady and has a great impact on not just me but all of golf.”

All of this positive vibe has definitely been a factor.

“I am enjoying what I’m doing,” Agnew said. “I really am taking this year to focus on the Epson Tour and enjoy my opportunities. That’s what a little attitude adjustment will do for you.”

Confidence Is Built Upon Lessons Learned For Agnew

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