Every time Katelyn Dambaugh (North Charleston, S.C.) steps on the course, pulls a club and takes a rip, she has Major David Gray on her mind and in her heart. He was a member of the 13th ASOS (Air Support Operations Squadron) TACP (Tactical Air Control Party) and was tragically killed in Afghanistan in 2012 by a suicide bomber.

“He was a really close family friend, I called him my brother because of how close he was to us and I was actually a flower girl in his wedding,” explained Dambaugh, who has a wrist band in his honor and has his name and unit on her golf bag. “In my golf bag, I have a piece of paper that is lamented and his whole story is on there and it is just so cool.”

Katelyn Dambaugh Dambaugh’s mantra this week is “finish strong”, a saying that Major David Gray would always tell his wife, Heather.

“On my golf shoes, I have the words ‘finish strong’ because of him,” explained Dambaugh. “I play with that mindset and I do everything in life with that in mind.”

Dambaugh had a tremendous junior season at South Carolina where she was a 2015-16 WGCA First-Team All-American and a finalist for the ANNIKA Award. At the entry deadline for LPGA Qualifying Tournament, she was ranked in the top three in the amateur rankings and got to skip Stage I. Dambaugh finished T24 at Stage II.

“I came to Qualifying Tournament with the hope of starting on the Epson Tour and that is my plan,” said Dambaugh, who also acknowledged that she’d have a decision to make if she finishes in the top 20. “Right now, my mind is made up to staying in school and finishing with my team because they have been so good to me and the university has been awesome. I really want to finish the commitment.”

Katelyn Dambaugh Dambaugh comes from a very athletic family. Her dad, Eric, was a really good baseball player that was plagued by shoulder problems and her uncles Allen Kinard (catcher for Pittsburgh Pirates) and Gary Kinard (pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies) both played in the major leagues. Her mom, Cindy, played volleyball, basketball and softball. Naturally, she gravitated to sports. Dambaugh played soccer, volleyball and softball, but focused primarily on basketball and golf.

Dambaugh actually won back-to-back-to-back basketball state championships at Pinewood Prep in Summerville, S.C. as a sophomore, junior and senior. She still plays pick-up games with the Gamecocks basketball players during their offseason.

“Don’t make me dribble, but I can shoot lights out,” joked Daumbaugh, who has an outgoing personality. “I always knew golf was my thing and my ticket to a full ride.”

When she’s not on the golf course, she has niece and nephew that she loves to spend time with. She also admits to being a Netflix junkie.

“I’m trying to find a new show, I’ve watched all of Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, 90210 and all those kind of shows,” said Dambaugh. “I also try and sleep a lot especially with this semester I’ve had. I was gone seven out of eight weeks for golf.”

One of those weeks was a trip to Cancun to compete in the World Amateur Championship.

Dambaugh has improved her scoring average each year at South Carolina from 73.70 as a freshman to 71.62 as a junior. She now takes aim at a possible spot on the LPGA.

No. 9 Amateur In World Dambaugh Playing For Something Larger

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