COLLEGIATE GOLFER SPOTLIGHT - HANNA HARRISON

NTPGA • July 13, 2018

COLLEGIATE GOLFER SPOTLIGHT - HANNA HARRISON

As many of you know, our motto here at the NTPGA Junior Tour is #WHOSNEXT ®. The NTPGA Junior Tour is well represented by its alumni on the PGA, Web.com and LPGA Tours. Currently, there are 22 former Junior Tour members competing professionally including Jordan Spieth, Cody Gribble, Ryan Palmer, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lang and many more.

 

But, our #WHOSNEXT® motto doesn’t just apply to future professional golfers. It applies to our former members currently showcasing their talents at the collegiate level all across the country.

 

In this bi-monthly blog series, we will be featuring former Junior Tour members who are currently playing golf. Every other week we’ll check out what they had to say about their time playing on the NTPGA Junior Tour, and gain some insight into what it’s like to play college golf.

 

We know it is the goal of many of our current members to move on to play golf in college. Are you the next college golfer? #WHOSNEXT®


Hanna Harrison - NTPGA Junior Tour Member 2010 - 2016

Marketing Major at Dallas Baptist University

Graduating in May 2020


What are your post graduation plans?

I would like to travel around the world and play professionally on the LPGA Tour. But, if that does not work out then I want to use my marketing degree and love of golf to work in the golf world, whether that be with a golf foundation or golf tour.


How did being a part of the NTPGA Junior Tour help or impact your golf game? 

It helped me become a better player and helped bring my game to the next level. I am playing NCAA Division II golf because I played in NTPGA Junior Tour and Legends Tour events. Those tournaments helped me get noticed by colleges and are the reason why I am playing golf collegiately. 


Also, I had the wonderful honor to be the Ben Hogan Junior Cup Team Captain for two years in a row (2016 & 2017). This opportunity helped me grow as a person, and it also ignited in me a passion for the youth of this game. It made me see how important it is to invest time and effort into them. 


What was the biggest thing you learned while you were a part of the NTPGA Junior Tour?

That I love this game and that one day I would want to come back and work for their organization. I currently am fulfilling that this summer as an intern for the NTPGA in the Player Development department. 


What is one piece of advice you would give to current NTPGA Junior Tour members? 

Enjoy it! Take in the whole experience because you will look back and be so grateful for the time you had playing junior golf and meeting so many people. Some of my best friends to this day were the ones I met in junior golf tournaments.


How did the NTPGA Junior Tour help prepare you for playing golf in college?

It taught me the necessary skills for tournament play. I learned etiquette, respect and rules. It shaped me into a better person on and off the golf course. 


Please describe what your personal golf recruiting process looked like. 

I reached out to 14 universities. To name a few, SMU, University of North Carolina Greensboro, University of Oklahoma, TCU, Belmont University, and DBU. I heard back from eight universities and spoke with four coaches on the phone. I actively pursued each school and went on one official visit to Dallas Baptist University. When I went on my official visit to DBU I fell in love with the campus, coaches, and the environment. About a week later Coach Trapp called me on April 22nd of my junior year and offered me a spot on the team. I asked him when he needed to know the answer by and he said sooner rather than later and I told him that I had already talked about it with my parents and they told me it was my decision at the end of the day. I told him I knew that DBU is where I wanted to be. He laughed and said, “Well you made my job easier,” and I said “That’s what I’m here for!”


How does playing in college differ from the NTPGA Junior Tour? 

It is definitely a different level. It can be intense and intimidating at some points. Playing on the NTPGA Junior Tour, you are trying to get to college. Then once you are there, you are playing for your teammates and your university. Yes, golf is an individual sport, but in college I have a team which is also my family and I want to play my best for them. We win and lose together as a family. Golf is golf, much does not change. We still tee it up the same and try to play to the best of our abilities everyday. Yardages get farther, and instead of playing for stars and points, you are playing for rankings and national championships. 

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