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Women's Golf Alumni Spotlight: Jennie Lee
7/12/2020 7:11:00 AM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C.— Over the summer, the Blue Devils will be catching up with Duke women's golf alumnae to see what they have been up to since leaving Durham. Our next alumna for the summer is 2009 graduate Jennie Lee.
Lee was a key contributor over her four years with the Blue Devils, while helping Duke win the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Championships. She was a three-time All-American and four-time All-ACC selection. Lee competed in 42 tournaments and notched 15 top 10 finishes over her career.
GoDuke.com: Since graduating from Duke, what have you been up to?
Jennie Lee: I turned professional right after NCAA's and played for about seven years on the LPGA, Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour. It was a great ride and an amazing adventure, but I decided to open up a new chapter in my life. I entered the corporate world and got a job at Nike WHQ in Beaverton, Ore.
GD: How was your experience playing professionally?
JL: Playing on tour was incredible. When you're in the moment, you're surrounded by everyone else that do the same thing so you don't realize how special it is. Traveling the world was fun and I got to meet a lot of people in different parts of the world. The experience of being a professional athlete competing against the best in the world is very unique. I grew a lot as a person and also learned valuable lessons that I still keep in mind today. With a foot injury, my body started to break down and my performance took a hit. Having played competitive golf my entire life, I decided to explore something completely brand new.
GD: Have you been able to keep in touch with many former teammates/coaches since you left Duke?
JL: Absolutely. I keep in touch with a few of them regularly and some of us have a group chat with Coach Brooks to stay in touch. We recently got on a zoom call with the 2006 and 2007 national championship teams so it was great to see everyone. I also went back for the women's golf reunion last fall.
GD: Have you been able to continue to follow the Duke women's golf team since you graduated?
JL: Of course! I get the golf alumni newsletter emails and I follow all the social media accounts. It has been really fun following all the team success and also the alumni who still play on tour.
GD: Have you been able to make it back to Durham since graduation?
JL: When I was still playing on the road, I would stop by often if I were in that part of the country. I also made it back for my fifth year reunion in 2014 and then the women's golf reunion last fall. I love going back. Obviously, the campus is beautiful and visiting Washington Duke brings back great memories.
GD: Do you get a chance to play golf any these days?
JL: Yes. In my current job at Nike, much of my day is spent behind a desk in an office setting so I decided to start coaching part time at a junior academy in the evenings. I love being connected to the game and I often play with the juniors on weekends.
GD: What kind of feeling was it to win two NCAA Championships with Duke?
JL: Amazing. With golf being an individual sport, it is not often you get to play on a team. I loved carrying a Duke bag, wearing a Duke uniform and representing the school with my teammates. First setting the goal to win a National Championship and then accomplishing that goal as a team was my first time tasting and experiencing greatness. I felt very lucky to experience that with my teammates and it is definitely a feeling that I'm still chasing in life.
GD: When looking back on your days at Duke, what are some of your favorite memories?
JL: Some of my favorites are visits to Quenchers inside the Wilson gym to get a Chocolate Elvis smoothie, grabbing the Oval Office (sausage, egg, cheese, red onion, hot sauce) at Alpine Bagel in between classes, and watching both the men's and women's basketball games. I also remember during finals week, we didn't have official team practice so one of my teammates, Jennifer Pandolfi, and I would tee off at the WaDuke at the crack of dawn to get 18 holes before 10:30am. We had to finish before 10:30 because brunch at the WaDuke ended at 10:30. Brunch was our reward for getting our golf in before going back to study.
GD: Have you developed any new hobbies, etc., that you are involved with these days?
JL: I am cooking more and have tried some new Korean recipes.
GD: How has a Duke degree helped you?
JL: Having a Duke degree definitely stands out on your bio or resume. It also puts you in network with other alumni who strive for excellence. One of the greatest things about Duke is that you are surrounded by people with a high level of motivation in whatever they choose to do.
GD: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to our current student-athletes?
JL: Soak it all in. It's easy to be in your comfort zone but there are a lot of great resources that Duke and Duke Athletics has that are available to you. Duke has both a strong academic and athletic program so you really get the best of both worlds and it's very special to have this kind of opportunity in life.
Lee was a key contributor over her four years with the Blue Devils, while helping Duke win the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Championships. She was a three-time All-American and four-time All-ACC selection. Lee competed in 42 tournaments and notched 15 top 10 finishes over her career.
GoDuke.com: Since graduating from Duke, what have you been up to?
Jennie Lee: I turned professional right after NCAA's and played for about seven years on the LPGA, Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour. It was a great ride and an amazing adventure, but I decided to open up a new chapter in my life. I entered the corporate world and got a job at Nike WHQ in Beaverton, Ore.
GD: How was your experience playing professionally?
JL: Playing on tour was incredible. When you're in the moment, you're surrounded by everyone else that do the same thing so you don't realize how special it is. Traveling the world was fun and I got to meet a lot of people in different parts of the world. The experience of being a professional athlete competing against the best in the world is very unique. I grew a lot as a person and also learned valuable lessons that I still keep in mind today. With a foot injury, my body started to break down and my performance took a hit. Having played competitive golf my entire life, I decided to explore something completely brand new.
GD: Have you been able to keep in touch with many former teammates/coaches since you left Duke?
JL: Absolutely. I keep in touch with a few of them regularly and some of us have a group chat with Coach Brooks to stay in touch. We recently got on a zoom call with the 2006 and 2007 national championship teams so it was great to see everyone. I also went back for the women's golf reunion last fall.
GD: Have you been able to continue to follow the Duke women's golf team since you graduated?
JL: Of course! I get the golf alumni newsletter emails and I follow all the social media accounts. It has been really fun following all the team success and also the alumni who still play on tour.
GD: Have you been able to make it back to Durham since graduation?
JL: When I was still playing on the road, I would stop by often if I were in that part of the country. I also made it back for my fifth year reunion in 2014 and then the women's golf reunion last fall. I love going back. Obviously, the campus is beautiful and visiting Washington Duke brings back great memories.
GD: Do you get a chance to play golf any these days?
JL: Yes. In my current job at Nike, much of my day is spent behind a desk in an office setting so I decided to start coaching part time at a junior academy in the evenings. I love being connected to the game and I often play with the juniors on weekends.
GD: What kind of feeling was it to win two NCAA Championships with Duke?
JL: Amazing. With golf being an individual sport, it is not often you get to play on a team. I loved carrying a Duke bag, wearing a Duke uniform and representing the school with my teammates. First setting the goal to win a National Championship and then accomplishing that goal as a team was my first time tasting and experiencing greatness. I felt very lucky to experience that with my teammates and it is definitely a feeling that I'm still chasing in life.
GD: When looking back on your days at Duke, what are some of your favorite memories?
JL: Some of my favorites are visits to Quenchers inside the Wilson gym to get a Chocolate Elvis smoothie, grabbing the Oval Office (sausage, egg, cheese, red onion, hot sauce) at Alpine Bagel in between classes, and watching both the men's and women's basketball games. I also remember during finals week, we didn't have official team practice so one of my teammates, Jennifer Pandolfi, and I would tee off at the WaDuke at the crack of dawn to get 18 holes before 10:30am. We had to finish before 10:30 because brunch at the WaDuke ended at 10:30. Brunch was our reward for getting our golf in before going back to study.
GD: Have you developed any new hobbies, etc., that you are involved with these days?
JL: I am cooking more and have tried some new Korean recipes.
GD: How has a Duke degree helped you?
JL: Having a Duke degree definitely stands out on your bio or resume. It also puts you in network with other alumni who strive for excellence. One of the greatest things about Duke is that you are surrounded by people with a high level of motivation in whatever they choose to do.
GD: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to our current student-athletes?
JL: Soak it all in. It's easy to be in your comfort zone but there are a lot of great resources that Duke and Duke Athletics has that are available to you. Duke has both a strong academic and athletic program so you really get the best of both worlds and it's very special to have this kind of opportunity in life.
Andie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
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