Hilton Head Island's Meadow eager to turn page on tough 2015

Stephanie Meadow is back this week where it all began to unravel a year ago.

At last year's LPGA qualifying finals, the Hilton Head Island golfer missed out on the final full card in one of the cruelest ways possible -- on the 11th playoff hole, watching as Karlin Beck's 75-foot chip shot trundled its way into the cup.

If that had been the worst of it, Meadow would have settled there. But after a trying 2015 that included the passing of her father, Robert, Meadow is more than ready to open a new chapter at the same venue that left her luckless a year ago.

"What happened, happened," Meadow said from Daytona Beach, Fla., completing her final practice before the 90-hole final exam begins Wednesday morning at LPGA International. "There were a lot of variables that went on that had nothing to do with golf. Now it's done and time to restart."

Certainly no one would blame the IJGA alumna for simply declaring 2015 a lost year. Meadow only played once during the season's first five months, stepping back to stay home when her dad was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. The doctor called the night before she was set to leave for the season opener in Florida.

Robert Meadow, who brought his daughter to Hilton Head from their native Northern Ireland at age 14 to chase her dream, died in May. When Stephanie started playing again, nothing seemed the same. Her game was rusty, her heart heavy and birdies extremely rare.

Meadow got in 10 starts after Robert's passing -- and missed the cut each time.

"It's been a little rough," she said when asked to classify her rookie year.

It was completely out of character for someone who Alabama coach Mic Potter once called "the best player in the history of Alabama women's golf." She won nine tournaments in college, helping the Crimson Tide to their first NCAA women's title in 2012.

When Meadow turned pro two summers ago, her first start resulted in a share of third at the U.S. Women's Open.

This past summer, though, was rife with frustration as hopes of excelling in her dad's honor didn't work out as envisioned.

"The combination of both (hardships) was obviously very hard," she said.

A second-round 82 at the Women's British Open prompted a coaching change, and she left Todd Anderson for Jorge Parada at TPC Sawgrass. Though it didn't quite halt the skid of missed cuts, Meadow said she simply ran out of opportunities.

"The season ended a little too quickly," said Meadow, who makes Berkeley Hall her training base. "I definitely made some progress toward the end. All that matters is becoming the best golfer I can be. Now I feel much better about my game."

If there was any silver lining to Meadow's season, it came last month, when she was presented with the LPGA's Heather Farr Perseverance Award. Named for a young 1980s talent lost to breast cancer, the award honors a player who has shown determination in the face of adversity.

At the tour's awards gala two weeks ago in Naples, Fla., LPGA president Vicki Goetze-Ackerman was in tears as she told Meadow's story.

"I was just kind of humbled by the fact that a rookie on tour could receive so many votes from people I don't necessarily know," Meadow said. "I knew my friends were going to vote for me, but to have others support my (story), that's pretty awesome.

"It's for perseverance, and that honors my dad. He never gave up on anything. So that was honoring him in a big way."

Now the time has come to turn the page. The LPGA gives out 20 full cards via Q-School -- allowing graduates to enter any full-field event on the schedule -- but no more, creating the type of playoff Meadow endured last year, when seven players tied for the final three spots.

This time, her goal is to finish among the top five and avoid such drama.

"It's about staying consistent and who makes the most unforced errors," she said, adding that last year's experience should help her in crunch time.

"There are a lot of girls that don't know the pressure of it. So many girls are gone after one day because they're so upset. It's just keeping your head in it and keep grinding away."

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Hilton Head Island's Meadow eager to turn page on tough 2015."