Brianna Do (Lakewood, Calif.), one of five former UCLA Bruins in the field, finished third on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2015 and was ready for a career-defining year on the LPGA in 2016. While she felt like her game was close, the results didn’t follow. She lost her full card and was forced to return to Qualifying Tournament to earn back status.
Here is the positive. She made birdie on the 72nd hole to make the cut and then birdie on the 90th hole to earn partial status.
Here is the negative. Even with partial status, she expects to spend most of her time on the Epson Tour. In a Solheim Cup year, she anticipates most full status players trying to play as many events as possible, which would limit her chances.
Do has had difficulty putting it all together at once. This past Monday at the LPGA Kia Classic was a prime example. She hit 12 fairways and 14 greens, but attempted 38 putts and fell short with a 77 in the Monday Qualifier.
“I feel like I am really close and that is why I am still trying (to play professional and get back to the LPGA),” explained Do. “If my game was going in the wrong direction, I probably wouldn’t have played this year.”
In Carlsbad, Do’s coach of seven years, James Oh, caddied for her and saw lots of positives.
“It was the first time he has ever caddied for me and he told me he was honestly impressed,” said Do. “He told me it is hard to believe that I shot what I did in Winter Haven (+10) because I was swinging it good. It was nice to have him on my bag.”
Do spent much of the offseason figuring out how she was going to afford to play the Tour this year. In 2015, she relied on “Bri Do’s Birdie Program”, but no longer has the support she once did through that initiative.
“I’m pinching pennies,” said an honest Do, who showed raw emotion several times during the 20-minute conversation. “My parents are retired so they can only help me out so much and last year I struggled. I went into Florida (Florida’s Natural Charity Classic) knowing that I had to play well in order to play after the West Coast Swing.”
Do is now relying on playing in pro-ams and corporate outings in order to secure enough more for entry fees.
“In the offseason, I was putting off looking at my bank account and then I did and I was like ‘oh no’,” explained Do. “I kind of had a quarter life crisis.”
Do has clearly shown flashes of brilliance on the golf course over her career. She was a two-time Long Beach Press Telegram Player of the Year, two-time AJGA All-American, the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion, a two-time All-Pac 12 performer at UCLA and has 11 career top 10 finishes on the Epson Tour.
If she can find the game that propelled her to a Tour card in 2015, she’ll alleviate the financial burden and be set free mentally to thrive.
“I’ve got to patient because I feel like my game is right there, but honestly, it is hard,” said Do. “I’m going to keep grinding away and hope that it all works out.”
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