Sooner Golfer on the Fast Track to Success

March 8, 2000

By Zack Higbee,
OU Athletic Media Relations

Three years ago, University of Oklahoma freshman Allison Johnson sat in a doctor's office scared about her future. Three months ago, as the OU women's golf team's fall season ended, she began to get an idea of what the future held.

Faced with the decision of whether or not to have surgery to repair the tendonitis in her rotator cuff, Johnson opted not to, although she knew it meant the end of her tennis career. Since the age of eight, she had spent numerous hours on the court hoping her work would pay off in a college scholarship and a chance at making it on the pro circuit. Of all the prescriptions Johnson's doctor gave her, the one that seemed to help the most didn't have anything to do with the injury. It turned out her doctor was an avid golfer and knew she would need something else to fill the void tennis had once occupied.

"I begged my father for a set of clubs. He wanted me to play, but was apprehensive because he wanted for the injury to heal," said Johnson. "Dad ended up buying them for me when the doctor said it was a good idea. I started taking lessons from Drew Whipple in March of 1997, so that I could have fun doing something other than tennis. I can still remember my first lesson. I was so proud that I had hit two balls, every other one I had whiffed."

Johnson immediately hit it off with Whipple and the two became fast friends. Maybe it was just their two personalities clicked or maybe it had something to do with the fact Whipple had an idea of where Johnson was coming from. Having lettered in football at Texas Tech University, Whipple's career also was cut short when he blew out his knee.

After a month of lessons, Johnson and her father were on the course at an Amarillo, Texas, country club. She ended up shooting a 115. That may have had something to do with the fact that she started every hole from the men's tees because at the time she didn't know women's tees existed. Two weeks later and standing closer to the hole, Johnson's score dropped considerably to 86.

"Dad was at every lesson and walked with me on the course because I was intimidated at first," said Johnson. "When I started he taught me everything from what to wear to what a birdie was. Dad's extremely positive. When I have a bad tournament, he remembers the good shots and helps me to focus on those. I don't get down on myself after tournaments because I know that I haven't been playing that long."

Any time a child gets ready to go to college it's only natural for a parent to go through a lot of feelings and maybe that explains why Michael Johnson had mixed emotions when his youngest daughter was deciding where to spend the next few years of her life.

"At first, every one of our relatives told us not to even try for a scholarship, but we thought we'd send information to schools just to see if anything would come of it," said Johnson. "We were thrilled about OU because of its proximity to home and because of the competition the Big 12 Conference offered. The first time we met Carol (Ludvigson, OU's head coach) we knew she was amazing."

Sending information to schools proved to be a good investment of time and, as it turned out, by the end of Johnson's career at Tascosa High School, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State were recruiting Johnson, along with Oklahoma.

"I knew it was going to be OU because of the campus atmosphere and the fact the student life area of other athletic departments didn't compare to OU's," said Allison. "I want to be the best in this sport and I know OU can get me there. The team is very competitive internally and the facilities we have are incredible."

The Sooners also had made a sound investment when they offered Johnson a scholarship even though she might not have possessed the experience others had. Johnson ended up in a tie for the third lowest stroke average on the team, 77.3, during the fall. She turned in the best finish of any OU golfer at the New Mexico State Invitational after firing a three-day total of 223 to tie for ninth.

"I'm never really thinking about it while I'm out on the course, because I'm thinking only of my next shot," said Allison. "My performance in a tournament doesn't sink in until afterwards and it wasn't until the beginning of this semester that I began to realize what kind of a fall I had."

Although she might not be thinking about it at the time, Michael, who played baseball at Baylor and knows what it takes to compete on the collegiate level, is proud of his daughter's achievements.

"She's the type of girl you enjoy being around," said Allison's father. "She's overcome a lot of adversity, and I'm proud of her. She's attempted to excel at something and has ended up excelling in every aspect of her life. I have admiration for her because I know she's had to earn everything and she deserves it. When I look at her I can't believe that girl is my daughter. She's amazing."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Golfer on the Fast Track to Success

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