The most important part of Abbie Horan's season will begin on Tuesday, starting with the North Suburban Conference girls golf tournament at Deerpath in Lake Forest.
The Lakes High senior hopes a successful run through the end of the Eagles' schedule will end on Oct. 17 at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale with her holding a first-place medal at the IHSA Girls Class AA State Meet.
With so many key meets set for the next few weeks, Horan, who finished fourth in last year's state meet, didn't want any distractions bothering her, such as where she will continue her golf career in college.
"It's really been stressful," said Horan of her recruiting process.
That stress ended a few days ago when Horan and her parents made the journey to Ames, Iowa, to visit the campus of Iowa State University and meet head women's golf coach Christie Martens. "The campus was wonderful, they have three golf courses near the campus and I felt so comfortable with the Coach Martens," said Horan, who recently fired a career-best 68 in winning the Vernon Hills Invitational.
That comfort zone was what Horan was looking for in a college, so over the weekend she made a verbal commitment be part of the Iowa State program in the fall of 2010.
In Ames next season, Horan will be joining a young Cyclone team which will have only two seniors, plus has a distinct international flair with players from Thailand, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.
"I got a chance to play with some of the girls on the team and they really made me feel at home," said Horan. "I'm really excited about going there."
Horan is still undecided on field of study in college, but knows she made the right choice after visiting several schools interested in her services over the past few months.
"It's a big weight off my shoulders," she said. "Now I can just go out and play golf in the next few weeks and not worry about it anymore. Hopefully, I can finish the season strong." PREP GIRLS GOLF
September 28, 2009