Abigail Leighton '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Abby Leighton and live in Santa Rosa, CA.  I currently attend Cardinal Newman High School and will graduate in 2021.  My dad introduced me to the sport of golf at a young age. I started playing golf at five-years-old and entered my first competitive golf tournament at age eight. I can't remember a time when golf was not part of my daily life and it is truly my passion to play and compete. 

The strongest part of my golf game is my long game. I average 275 yards in driving distance with an average club head speed of 98 mph and an average ball speed of 146. This distance is not just with my driver, it is all throughout my bag. For example, I hit my 7-iron about 155 yards with an average club head speed of 86.1 mph and an average ball speed of 115.9 mph.

When you play a sport for a long time, you learn a lot of things. Golf has taught me: how to be calm in stressful situations, how to be patient when things weren't going my way, how to have strength when I've wanted to give up, and how to be happy even if I didn't have a good day on the course. The most important thing I've gained from golf, is the same joy I feel for this sport, year after year. 

Outside of golf, I have other extracurricular activities such as some leadership roles, playing guitar and ukulele, practicing different mediums of art, photography, being a gym enthusiast, and going for a nice hike once in a while. I'm always exploring and trying new things. 

Along with golf, school is very, very important to me. For my Sophomore year, I have a 4.5 weighted GPA. No matter how hard the homework assignment or class project is, I always give 110%, just like I do in golf.