Golf is a game of patience, and no one understands that better than Class of 2023 alumna Riley Smyth.
After years of grinding through college golf and the Epson Tour, Smyth broke through by securing an LPGA Tour card — making her one of four Cavaliers that will represent the University on Tour next year.
But the road to an LPGA card is lined with uncertainty, sacrifice and a demand for constant excellence. To earn one, players must turn professional and either finish inside the top 15 of the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card standings — piling up points across a long season — or survive the pressure-packed gauntlet of the LPGA Qualifying Series, or Q-School. This process can take years. The switch from amateur to professional requires full mental and physical dedication to a completely new lifestyle — one filled with constant decisions about practice, travel and finances.
But Smyth made the climb to the top quickly. Sept. 23, with just one tournament remaining on the Epson Tour schedule, Smyth, guaranteed a spot in the final top 15, clinched her LPGA Tour card. She never had any illusions about how hard that would be.
“There are going to be a lot of highs and lows along the journey,” Smyth said in an interview. “But every step is worth it because there’s no feeling like reaching a lifetime goal.”
Smyth began her journey toward that goal when she joined the Cavaliers as a freshman in 2018. She starred as a sophomore, finishing in the top 10 three times and recording the second-best scoring average on the team. But in her later years and especially as a graduate, Smyth’s results hardly indicated what was to come. She never placed higher than 36th in a tournament during her final year.
But in her last appearance as a Cavalier, she fired rounds of 76-71 at the NCAA Championships, with her final round serving as the team’s low score and placing Virginia in a tie with Clemson for 24th.
Once her collegiate career ended, Smyth made the pivot from amateur to professional, going straight to the Epson Tour. The switch from college to professional life was dramatic. On the Epson Tour, the only way to accumulate points is to play — and play often. Events are held across the United States, with players responsible for their own substantial travel costs. Although prize money is available, most competitors must invest heavily in themselves just to stay on the road.
“You go from in college having everything planned for you … to pro life, everything you have to do on your own, your own travel plan, your own practice plan,” Smyth said.
Even the style of play changed. In college, tournaments took place once every two or three weeks. On tour, Smyth often faced four to five straight weeks of grueling competition. The constant matches required near-superhuman focus and mental fortitude.
Even when her ball striking was not there, or the putter went cold for an entire weekend, Smyth never had the luxury of sulking. The next tournament always came fast, demanding a reset and a new belief in her game.
“You don’t have the opportunity to always have your best game,” Smyth said. “You [have] to figure out how to make it work week to week.”
On tour there is no locker room full of teammates, no bus rides, no group practice with friends who are going through the same struggles. Just long travel days, hotel rooms, and the pressure of performing alone. At Virginia, she had structure, teammates to lean on and a built-in support system.
“I have a bunch of friends on tour, and we all help each other and support each other, but at the end of the day, we’re still competitors,” Smyth said. “[In college] your teammates are there to support you and want the best out of you each and every day.”
But in those lonely moments, the Virginia culture still found a way to reach her. Mentors like Coach Ria Scott remained a steady source of guidance, helping Smyth stay grounded.
“They have a ton of connections in the golf world where, if they don't have the answer, they can find an answer for me,” Smyth said.
And even with the exhausting nature of trying to secure a tour card, Smyth was never left unprepared. Much of the mental toughness, consistency and confidence she leaned on during those long stretches of tour life was built in Charlottesville.
“I think just being able to have the experience that I had at U.Va. definitely made this grind a lot easier,” Smyth said.
Looking back, Smyth would not trade the hard days for easier ones. If there is anything she wants current Cavaliers to understand, it is that the journey matters just as much as the destination.
“Enjoy every minute of college, because you never get that time back,” Smyth said. “And that definitely shapes what your pro life will look like as well.”
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