Cydney Clanton has been swinging her way to win after win since her introduction to the Auburn women's golf team three years ago.
The senior is currently ranked in the top 10 of amateur golfers in the nation.
Clanton said although her time at Auburn has been beneficial, she was born with the ability to golf.
"I started golfing when I was 10," Clanton said. "My whole family is full of golfers, both on my mom's and my dad's side. My dad is kind of the one who got me really into it, though."
This natural ability to play, combined with work and practice, has led Clanton to earn showings at several top amateur tournaments.
"I played in the Curtis Cup this summer," Clanton said. "It is the top eight amateurs in the nation against Great Britain and Ireland. As a team, we won by a pretty large margin, and I did pretty well in my individual matches. I won two matches and tied a match."
The tournament was held at the Essex County Club in Manchester, Mass., and last month, Clanton returned to her home state of North Carolina to compete in the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championship.
She said she didn't play as well as she had hoped, but enjoyed the opportunity to tee off against other talented individuals.
"Playing at home was great, but I didn't make it to top 32 like I had wanted," Clanton said. "It was a good week just being home and having family and friends come out and watch."
Clanton also had an impressive regular season with the team last year.
The three-time all-American finished in the top 10 of all regular-season tournaments and tied for third in the last NCAA Championship, finishing 72-71-72-66-281 (7 under par).
Clanton was one of only two players in the 126-player NCAA Championship field to record four on-par or better rounds.
Clanton said she has been working on several parts of her performance that played a large role in having such a successful season.
"I have stayed patient with my golf over the past year, and I try to keep my confidence up through that," Clanton said. "Working really hard and analyzing what part of the game needs to get better have also been helpful in the improvement of my game."
Clanton said practice, optional or not, has been another key to her success.
"The NCAA requires there to be at least 20 hours of practice per week, but you usually end up doubling that," Clanton said. "All the times on the green have paid off as well."
Clanton set a new Auburn record for the lowest single-season stroke average with 71.45.
She has also earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team for three consecutive years.
Despite her accolades, Clanton strives to continually improve her game.
"One of the goals I have for this year is to get the lowest stroke average in college history," she said. "I've done it at Auburn, but not on the national level, so that is one of my biggest goals."
Clanton is looking forward to what the future holds for her golf career and has ambitious postgraduation goals.
"After graduation, I will probably tour with the LPGA," she said.
Clanton said she wants to feel more comfortable with her shots and club selection as she prepares to travel to Nashville, Tenn,, Sept. 24-26 to compete in the Mason Rudolph Championship.
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