Even UI’s Skidmore surprised by success

Renee Skidmore had goals entering her freshman season on the University of Idaho women’s golf team.

Winning tournaments wasn’t at the top of her list.

“I was thinking more about lowering my scoring average, I wanted to get stronger and I wanted to become a more polished golfer,” Skidmore said.

By adhering to those objectives, winning took care of itself. Skidmore won her first collegiate tournament last fall and she won her most recent event, the Big West Conference championships, two weeks ago.

In between, Skidmore was steady, compiling top-four finishes in seven of 11 tournaments to earn a spot in the NCAA West Regional field Thursday through Saturday at the University Golf Course in Las Cruces, N.M.

She’s one of three individuals not on the 21 participating teams to qualify.

Along the way, Skidmore broke Idaho’s single-season scoring record. Her 74.1 scoring average eclipsed Nicole Keller’s record of 74.5.

“All I can say is it’s an honor,” said Skidmore, who won the Washington 4A title as a sophomore at Cascade High in Everett and placed second twice. “I wasn’t expecting it to happen my freshman year. I just went out and played golf and played well.”

Skidmore’s performance didn’t surprise coach Brad Rickel.

“The day she signed, I knew she’d have a huge impact,” Rickel said.

Skidmore thrives on the course by sticking to her strengths.

“She doesn’t necessarily hit it a long way, but she’s very accurate and very dedicated,” Rickel said. “She doesn’t try to overpower anything or hit shots she can’t hit. It’s all about fairways and greens and she’s a great putter.”

The 2x4 helps. She’s been toting a piece of wood around since her junior year of high school to help keep her putting stroke pure.

“When I was younger I used to work on my short game, just go out and chip around for hours, and I loved it for some reason,” Skidmore said. “For putting, I have a 2x4 that I always work on my path with and I use that before tournaments.”

Skidmore’s mind is another valuable asset. When she feels nerves intruding on her golf swing, as they did during the final round of the Big West championships, she gives herself a good talking to.

“I know it sounds stupid, but I have to talk to myself and calm myself down,” Skidmore said. “I say stuff in my head like ‘relax’ and ‘trust yourself.’ “

Skidmore, who was recruited by Oregon State, Long Beach State, Northern Arizona and Nevada, said she chose Idaho because “it’s like a big family. Brad coaches both teams (men and women) and we play together and everybody hangs out together.”

Skidmore also figured she’d have an opportunity to play right away. She began lifting weights in October and soon noticed dividends in her driving distance and stamina. Still, she estimates her average drive is about 225 yards. Where it lands is more important than how far it travels.

“I’m hitting the ball farther and I don’t have to take aggressive swings,” she said. “It’s just coming more naturally.”

She’s maintaining a simple approach this week.

“I want to try to go in with the same mind-set I had going into the conference tournament,” she said. “I’ll try not to let myself get intimidated, even though I know there’ll be thoughts lingering in the back of my mind. I want to stay calm, play my own game and have fun.”

It’s worked so far.