With a golf course in her backyard, junior golfer Kristen Rue was destined to play on the green.

“As a little girl I would always go to my parent’s golf lessons,” Rue said. “I think that’s how I got into it; I’m just surrounded by it.”

Even today she has the support of her parents as she competes collegiately. Her mother doesn’t miss a tournament, and her dad attends when he can.

A junior studying communication, she wanted to end up going to school near the beach, but a bond with WSU head coach Kelli Kamimura swayed her decision.  

“I first wanted to be on the beach, then I narrowed it down on the coach and atmosphere, and I was able to feel that with Kelli,” Rue said.

She dates her first interaction with golf at an early age.

“Competitively, I started when I was ten, but I was mainly into soccer until sophomore year in high school,” Rue said.

The physicality of soccer began to take a toll on her, which created a desire for something that could not only soothe her, but provide success in the long run. As she transitioned between sports, she didn’t regret her decision.

“I miss kicking the ball around, but I don’t miss the game. I’m tired of beating myself up,” she said. “It was too stressful, everyone is terrible and they are just trying to kill me, so I was done.”

However, she said golf is no pushover sport. It is physically demanding and other sports can’t compare in terms of the longevity of the competitions, she said.

“Many don’t realize the workout that happens in golf,” she said. “You Play 72 holes, walking all over the place, mainly mentally drained at the end of the games – when you’re hitting 100 balls a game, it’s bound to happen. There are no other sports out there for 10 hours.”

In addition to dealing with the physical burden of golf, Rue said she developed the ability to deal with the mental intensity of the sport.

“Something I have gained ever since arriving here is definitely mental toughness, ability to control emotions when out on the course and time management, that’s number one,” she said.

While she enjoys a structured sport like golf, Rue said outside of the sport she enjoys activities that are a bit more spontaneous. If not having a pickle ball competition with her teammates, she’s out hunting with them.

“I kind of just do random stuff. I like outdoorsy things, movie nights in the summer,” she said. “I hike or Jet Ski, it’s just fun to be out in the water. I have to make time with my social life, it’s kind of hard.”

For most athletes, there’s no better feeling than winning, and the junior WSU golfer is no exception when recalling her fondest memory as a Cougar.

“First college win, it was at our home tournament,” Rue said. “You work so hard and that’s why you want to win. It’s nice when it all comes together and you’re able to get the win.”

She said she wants to achieve better results this year.

“I definitely want to go to regionals. I want to win another tournament and just minimize my errors,” she said. “As a team we all need to be mentally prepared to get it done, no matter the conditions, we cannot give ourselves excuses.”

With her time her in the Palouse coming to a close, she is hesitant to think about leaving.  She values the bond she has developed with her teammates and the overall camaraderie.

“I will mostly miss the team. I love our team,” Rue said. “We are our own little bubble when out on tournaments and our coach because she helps us so much.”