Everything Went Wrong Before My LPGA Monday Qualifier | Sharon Heights

Gabby Barker
Mar 24
3 min read

Sometimes tournament weeks don’t start the way you expect them to.

This trip to San Jose for the LPGA Monday Qualifier at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club was one of those weeks where things seemed to go wrong before I even stepped on the first tee.

The travel day started simple enough. I actually arrived at the airport early because I was expecting the TSA lines to be a little chaotic. Surprisingly, getting through security and onto the plane was the easiest part of the entire trip.

But once we boarded, things slowed down quickly.

We ended up sitting on the tarmac for an hour and a half before finally taking off. All I could think about during that time was the tee time my caddie had booked for us at Half Moon Bay. I really didn’t want to miss the chance to play there.

When we finally made it, the wait was worth it.

Half Moon Bay is one of those places that reminds you how special golf can be. The course sits right along the coast with the ocean stretching out beside you the entire round. It was a little colder than I expected, and for a moment I thought I might not have packed enough layers.

But as the round went on, it warmed up just enough to enjoy the views.

The last hole might honestly be one of my favorite holes I’ve ever played. Standing on the tee box with the Ritz-Carlton in the background and waves crashing against the rocks below was one of those moments where you just pause and take it all in.

Golf has a way of bringing you to some incredible places.

After the round, we headed to our hotel near Sharon Heights to start preparing for the Monday qualifier.

That’s when the trip started throwing a few more curveballs.

At dinner that night, my caddie accidentally left his hat and Oakley sunglasses on the table. Unfortunately someone decided to keep them instead of turning them in.

Not exactly the best start to the week.

The next morning we played our practice round at Sharon Heights, and I’ll say this — the course is a gem. It was in amazing shape. The greens were soft, the fairways were perfect, and the course was playing beautifully.

The highlight of the practice round was getting to play with my friend Maddi. It had been almost a year since I’d seen her, so it was really nice to catch up while walking the course together.

After the round we grabbed Chipotle, which is always a reliable option when you’re on the road.

But the day wasn’t done surprising us yet.

When we came back out to the car, we realized someone had hit it in the parking lot and left without leaving any information.

At that point it almost felt like we just had to laugh and keep moving forward.

Travel weeks in professional golf can be unpredictable like that. Sometimes the challenges start before the tournament even begins.

That night I tried to get some rest and reset for the Monday qualifier.

But even the morning of the qualifier came with its own challenge.

My tee time was at 7:30 AM, and the sun didn’t come up until 7:18.

Which meant the entire warm-up happened in near darkness.

There was one floodlight on the range trying to light everything, but it definitely wasn’t ideal for preparing to compete.

Still, when it’s time to play, you adapt.

You step onto the first tee and go.