Kurey Interview

By carolinianweb on March 2, 2016 • ( 0 )

Catalin Munteanu / Flickr

Patrick O’Grady
Staff Writer

This past weekend, the UNCG women’s golf team traveled to the Kiawah Island Classic in South Carolina. This trip comes after the spring season opener at the University of Georgia and in preparation for the Southern Conference tournament in early April. Before the Spartans left for South Carolina, we at the Carolinian had the opportunity to talk with the blue & gold’s lead player, Emily Kurey.

Kurey was a standout at Centennial High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. She attended the University of Louisville initially but transferred to UNCG in the spring of her sophomore year. Now a junior, Kurey led the Spartans with an 11th place finish at the season opener Lady Bulldog Individual tournament at the University of Georgia.

“UGA is a great tournament to open up with”, said Kurey. The student-athlete mentioned that this course is a great opportunity for the team to come together against strong competitors. In addition, Kurey stated that the UGA course was a great way for her to work on her short game and mental attitude.

Looking toward the rest of the season, Kurey talked about some of the tools she uses to improve her mental game. “We use Google Earth to map out and play the course shot by shot using the images provided before we even step foot onto the course”, stated Kurey. In addition to this aspect of playing, teammates also play a role in the junior’s golf game. “It is nice having each other’s backs to push each other to be the best players and people both on and off the course.”

Since transferring from the University of Louisville, Emily Kurey has settled into both the university and the city of Greensboro as a whole. When asked what initially attracted her to UNCG, Kurey noted in reference to head coach Janell Howland that “Coach J has such an amazing golf background and I knew she could make me better. She cares about all of us just as much off the golf course as she does on the course.” Kurey also came to Greensboro to have the opportunity to get more playing time as well as to be a little closer to her hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia. Regarding the student part of the student-athlete equation, the marketing major said, “UNCG has a beautiful campus and a great business school!”

Later in the season, the women’s golf team will have an important tournament on their home course at the Bryan National right here in Greensboro. This will be a great opportunity for the team to have the home course advantage. Located a mere 20 minutes from campus, the Bryan National will serve the Spartans well with a home course advantage. “The tournament has a great field and it is our home course. It will also be nice for us to sleep in our own beds the night before and have confidence in knowing the course”, noted Kurey.

Emily Kurey strives to be the best person that she can possibly be both on and off the course. When asked what her goals for the season are, Kurey powerfully stated that she wants to “keep getting better every day and glorifying God. Being the best I can be and working as hard as I can to be the best person, player, and team member both on and off the course is what it’s about for me.” Kurey went on to talk about how fortunate she feels to be where she is.

Be sure to keep an eye on both Emily and the UNCG women’s golf team in the coming months. The blue & gold will travel to the Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona over spring break for a three-day tournament. Following this trip the Spartans will travel to the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate in Cookeville, Tennessee. The big tournament to keep an eye on, and possibly attend, will be the Bryan National right here in Greensboro from April 1st to the 3rd. After this home tournament the golf team will travel to Pooler, Georgia for the Southern Conference tournament.