Florida State makes splash as Beatrice Wallin delays pro career

Florida State head coach Amy Bond says that senior Beatrice Wallin has “a twisted sense of humor.” After Tuesday, it’s hard to argue.

Entering the final round of the Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Florida, Wallin thought up a way to glean some extra motivation: If she closed her tournament in 6-under 66 or better, Seminoles assistant Justin Fetcho would have to jump into Suntree Country Club’s pool. Fetcho agreed, but after about six holes of even-par golf, Wallin realized that initial goal was unattainable, so she talked her coach into lowering the bar. Again, Fetcho said yes, this time to 4-under 68.

Fast forward to the final hole, a reachable par-5 at just 460 yards, and Wallin sat at 2 under on the day.

“All I could think about was the pool,” Wallin said. “I saw coach in the fairway, and I told him I need to go for this.”

So, she grabbed her 4-iron and stuck it to a foot. Eagle. 68. Splash.

Fetcho was happy to fulfill his end of the deal. The Seminoles had just beaten a stacked field that included five top-10 teams – No. 4 South Carolina (T-7), No. 6 Virginia (second), No. 7 Florida (sixth), No. 8 Alabama (fourth) and No. 10 Arkansas (ninth). Additionally, three Florida State players had placed in the top 10 – Charlotte Heath (fourth), Amelia Williamson (ninth) and Wallin (T-5).

“Any time you can play well against a talented field like that, you’ve gotta feel good about yourself,” said Bond, whose team didn’t finish better than fourth in the fall but has now jumped to No. 16 in Golfstat.

The Seminoles are trending, too, thanks in large part to a decision Wallin made during the winter break. Like fellow Swede Frida Kinhult did two years earlier, Beatrice Wallin entered LPGA Q-School last fall and advanced to the two-week Q-Series before earning Epson Tour status with a T-60 finish. But unlike Kinhult, who departed after a season and a half in Tallahassee, Wallin chose to return to school for her final semester.

Not that she didn’t wrestle with the two options. By deferring her status until the summer, she would be passing up eight starts on the 21-event schedule, making it more difficult to crack the top 10 in points and earn her LPGA card. But a player of Wallin’s caliber at fifth in the world, Bond argues, should have little issue doing so.

“And if I play really bad,” Wallin adds, “maybe I’m supposed to be on [Epson] for another year anyway.”

During her decision-making process, Wallin’s Swedish National Team coach, Fredrik Wetterstrand, asked her if earning her degree was important. Wallin, to put it nicely, doesn’t particularly love school, but she hated the idea of three-and-a-half years of work toward a Bachelor’s in Humanities going to waste.

“It was a hard decision, especially when you’ve bene practicing your whole life to achieve the goal of turning pro and playing professional golf,” Wallin said. “In the end, I decided to stay because for me as a person, you only do college once, and I’ve done three-and-a-half years, I might as well stay for four months and graduate. I was home-schooled for high school, so I never got that graduation experience. So, that will be something fun to look forward to.”

In other words, she wanted to finish what she started, both in the classroom and on the golf course, where she is a three-time All-American and looking to match the four All-America honors that her boyfriend, former Seminole standout John Pak, earned while in college. She also is excited about returning for a third time to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she owns top-10s in each of the first two editions, and chasing a national-championship ring for the final time.

As a team, Florida State is eager to get back to Grayhawk, where its season ended in heartbreak a season ago, and earn a ticket to match play. With Wallin delaying her pro career, that goal seems very much within reach.

“As a coach, I’m thrilled and excited to have her back,” Bond said. “She’s fun to be around, she’s constantly smiling. It’s fun to have watched her grow over the last three-and-a-half years, and I’m excited to finish he journey with her. … We’re certainly a different team with her in the lineup than out of the lineup.

“She weighed all the options, and she bet on herself.”

And now, Wallin just has to wait to see if she cashes in.