June 27, 2012
WASHINGTON - Georgetown University rising senior women's golfer Katie Skinner (Boise, Idaho/Bishop Kelly) is traveling this summer as part of the NCAA All-Star Tour through Asia and provides her first update following the group's departure from the west coast last week.
Skinner and eight other college golfers from universities across the United States were selected to travel to Japan, China, Hong Kong and Korea to play in various corporate events. The tour lasts three weeks and they will also spend time sight-seeing in major cities such as Hong Kong and Seoul. The tour started on Wednesday, June 20 with a kick-off event in Los Angeles.
"After playing in a kickoff event with sponsors at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Los Angeles, we landed in Tokyo on June 23! Our tour began at Camp Zama Golf Course, on the Camp Zama U.S. Army Base near Tokyo. We played our first round with members of the U.S. Military who welcomed us with open arms.
"The following day we played Camp Zama again, only this time with various Asian sponsors that helped make this tour possible. After the rounds, we had a chance to go into downtown Tokyo, which was definitely a highlight! We also got to experience attempting to feed ourselves without being able to read any of the Japanese menus...definitely a challenge.
"We then headed for the Japanese mountains via bullet train to play a round at Karuizawa Golf Club. We stayed at an amazing lodge while we were there, which was complete with a traditional Japanese spa/bath (and karaoke, of course). I shot a personal best of 67, so that was very exciting!
"Next we are heading up into the mountains again, but this time to Nagano, the site of the 1998 Olympics. On July 2nd, we will be hitting our next country: Korea. The tour is off to a fantastic start!
Skinner finished third on the team in stroke average at 79.44 last year, with her best finish a tie for 10th place at the Fighting Camel Classic.
The Hoyas open the 2012-13 season on Sunday, Sept. 9, competing in the Golfweek Preview, a showcase event in Pawleys Island, S.C. The three-day, 54-hole tournament runs through Tuesday, Sept. 11 and features 12 teams.
The Hoyas posted three top-10 finishes in five tournaments during the spring season and had six top-10 showings during the 2011-12 season.
