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As spring arrives, many high school juniors are focused on choosing a prom date or shopping for a dress, but Kristen Gillman is not your ordinary junior. The Austin, Texas native will make her second LPGA start this week at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, the 16-year-old made her LPGA debut at last year’s final major the Evian Championship. Gillman shot 74 – 78 to miss the cut, but says she learned some valuable lessons she will be bringing with her this week to San Francisco.

“I learned to stay focused on my own game,” Gillman said. While she says her goal this week is to win, she plans to “learn as much as I can and my golf game will take care of itself.”

Like most high school kids who get to take a week off from school Gillman says she’s enjoying everything about the week so far but is putting in some good work, playing practice rounds Monday and Tuesday alongside Alison Lee and Sandra Gal.

She says the highlight of the week so far was being interviewed by Fox Sports for their upcoming U.S. Women’s Open coverage, which she qualified for with her win at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship last summer. Gillman battled back from 2-down after 18 holes, making birdie on four of her last seven holes to defeat Brooke M. Henderson. The two will meet again this week, grouped together along with Brooke Pancake in the first two rounds.

In addition to her Amateur victory, Gillman also won the Junior PGA Championship by a record 11-strokes last summer. Although she earned a spot in the year’s first major, the ANA Inspiration, s

Amateur Kristen Gillman Makes Second LPGA Start

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