Then-freshman Jessica Porvasnik holds her follow-through after a shot during fall practice in 2013 at the OSU Golf Club. Porvasnik played in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open after being named Big Ten Player of the Year as a freshman.
Credit: Courtesy of OSU athletics
After a summer of teeing it up with the professionals in the U.S. Women’s Open, some coaches and teammates said Jessica Porvasnik will be back with the pros soon enough.
Porvasnik, a sophomore on the Ohio State women’s golf team, had quite the summer. After finishing her freshman season by being named the Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten individual champion and honorable mention All-American, Porvasnik went on to qualify for the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open in May.
“Something that I want to do one day is definitely go play in the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tour so it was really cool to play with some of the people I’ve always looked up to and get the experience,” Porvasnik said.
Porvasnik’s coach sees Porvasnik playing on tour one day, too. Coach Therese Hession said she is excited to see a glimpse of what the future may hold for the Hinckley, Ohio, native.
“I got to see her the second round (at the U.S. Open). She just looked like she belonged,” Hession said. “I know she even made a comment to her mom saying, ‘Three years from now, this will be my job.’”
Porvasnik said, though, she doesn’t plan on leaving OSU any sooner than three years.
“It’s like a thought but it would never happen. My mom is the one who says ‘No, you’re getting your degree before you leave,’ so no, it would probably never happen,” she said.
Senior teammate Claudia Lim also said she believes Porvasnik will play with the professionals one day.
“She’ll play on the LPGA tour, for sure,” Lim said. “She has the potential and all the characteristics to be a great leader.”
Now that Porvasnik is back from playing the fairways of Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., at the U.S. Women’s Open, she is ready to chase a collegiate championship with her teammates.
She was one of the 42 women named on the Big Ten Women’s Golfers to Watch List this season, along with teammates redshirt-sophomore Zoe-Beth Brake and sophomore Katja Pogacar.
“For the team, I know our goal is to definitely do really well in the Big Ten again and individually. I had a really good year last year, so I want to improve on that this year,” Porvasnik said.
Hession said she is expecting to see a great season from Porvasnik as well, and she hopes that the sophomore will take her experiences from the summer to lead her team.
“This summer she got to play with the best in the world at the U.S. Open. I think she’ll draw on those experiences and now she knows more what to expect in college golf,” Hession said.
Porvasnik is scheduled to start her sophomore season as a Buckeye on Monday when OSU is set to play in the Chip-N-Club Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. The tournament is scheduled to last through Tuesday.
