In high school, basketball and softball were the primary focus of ISU golfer Leanne Owens’ athletic career. Little did the junior from Creston High School with relatively little golfing experience know her sixth-place finish at the 1998 Iowa High School Girls State Golf Tournament would change the direction of her life.

“I saw tremendous talent, but someone who was very raw to golf,” said ISU women’s head golf coach Julie Manning.

“It would have been very easy to turn a blind eye,” said assistant coach Fiona Watson.

However, the coaching duo saw something special in Owens — an athlete with the potential for extraordinary future success. Manning and Watson said they took a chance on Owens’ natural talent and athleticism. Today, it is a gamble they are glad they took.

Owens has come a long way since then, developing into one of Iowa State’s top individual finishers and a team leader. This week, Owens, currently in her final season with the Cyclones, will pack up all of the knowledge and tools that she has gained from her successful collegiate career and travel to Lakeland, Fla., where she will compete for a spot on the 2004 Futures Golf Tour as a professional golfer.

This tournament will be unlike any Owens has entered. She said the level of competition will be “another step up” above anything she has experienced, with a field of 300 competitors including collegiate golfers, other amateurs and former professional golfers.

“It will be my first competition on my own,” Owens said. “It’s scary, but I’m looking forward to it. [Playing professional golf] is everything I want to do.”

Watson, a former ISU golfer who played in the Futures Qualifying Tournament last year, knows from experience that Owens is ready for the challenge.

“She will be the best ball striker in the tournament,” Watson said. “She will hit the ball farther and purer than everyone else.”

Watson said other competitors will have the advantage of experience.

“[Owens] doesn’t have all the shots [that the more experienced players have],” she said.

Watson said the short length of Owens’ career could be an advantage: She is still growing in her playing abilities, while most of the competitors at the tournament are at or near their peak level of play. Owens’ relative newness to the sport has also kept her fresh and provided her with more hunger than those who have been playing all of their lives, Watson said.

Owens said getting to the level of play she is at today has been a “gradual process” that has unfolded over the course of her collegiate career. She came to Iowa State with little knowledge of how to play golf, and her teammates and coaches have helped to teach her how to be successful, she said.

Manning said Owens has an outstanding ability to take information from others and put it into practice. Most importantly, Manning said, she has seen Owens develop as a leader and take on the responsibilities the coaching staff has asked of her. Owens has a very natural competitive presence and spreads that drive to her teammates through her actions, she said.

“I’m thankful for the support I’ve been given [at Iowa State],” Owens said. “I don’t think I would have gotten it anywhere else.”

Watson said that since her high school career, Owens has made great efforts to make golf her priority.

“She has narrowed everything down and has done a great job of taking advantage of the opportunities presented to her,” Watson said.

Owens said she is glad she didn’t start competing in golf at an early age because she has been able to enjoy it much more knowing that it is the sport she chose to pursue.

“[Owens] still has got a long way to go, but has taken some good steps [towards reaching the peak of her golfing abilities],” Watson said,

“The future potential is unlimited for her.”