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all over the country has improved my skills so much. Travelingalone is a difficult thing so I have been so blessed to have him in my life and share this crazy adventure with.

QCDG.com: Is there a female player that you modeled any part of your game after or that has had an impact on the way you play your game?

Liz: Juliana Korver has impacted the way I want to present myself on the course. I know I enjoy tournament rounds more when the girls on my card are having fun and just being positive. I feel Juliana is a great example of that. I want to be the person that is encouraging and not being negative towards myself or anyone.

QCDG.com: When did the moment come for you that you realized you not only belonged on the course with the top players of the game, but that you could compete against them and win?

Liz: I would say that moment came for me during the 2008 Memoral NT. It was the final round and I landed the final spot on the lead card. Although, I was extremely nervous playing against the best I was able to keep it together and finish in third. Another more recent moment was at Roscoe’s Revenge, a tournament run by the Jenkins family. It was the largest field of women I have ever competed against, not to mention the home course of Val Jenkins. I ended up winning in a playoff against 5 time world champ Elaine King. Yeah, Huge!

QCDG.com: Any time a player can pick up a sponsor it’s a big boost. What did it mean to you and your disc golf career to be picked up by Discraft after the Pro Worlds in 2007?

Liz: It was very exciting because I felt like I had shown promise as an amateur and one of the main companies in the sport saw that in me too. I had already been throwing their plastic and felt like it was helping me improve and so I was thrilled to know they were supporting me. Being on the road can get really expensive so having these extra bonuses after good performances definitely helps.

QCDG.com: You played in thirty-two tournaments in 2008, the most of any Pro woman for the year. Not bad for your first full year as a touring Pro! How did playing in that many events, on a wide variety of courses and being thrust into unknown pressure situations, help you improve and advance your game?

Liz :It helped me become a more consistent player as well as helped develop my style of play. Playing a variety of courses really helps you extend your skill range and I feel like all that play elevated my game in 2009. All that tournament experience is so valuable especially when you are put in pressure situations. It helps you develop your way of thinking as far as how to approach a situation. All that experience just helps you out next time you are stuck in a similar position.

QCDG.com: In 2009 you had 14 wins including the PDGA Pro Worlds Mixed Doubles Tournament with your good friend Eric McCabe. You also finished 3rd in National Tour points, and are ranked in the top ten in the World rankings thru October. What do you feel were the biggest reasons for your great success?

Liz: Being able to take time off of school and put a lot of focus into disc golf is a big reason. It has given me time to practice on what I need to and be able to get to places early to practice courses before events. Also, playing with a variety of people who have different styles of play helped me improve on some inconsistencies. Also, having people back home who support you is huge.

QCDG.com: What’s it been like for you, being new to the Pro tour and getting to play alongside some of the great names in Women’s disc golf? How have you been received by the more established players?

Liz: I traveled quit a bit as an amateur so I was able to meet and watch the top pro women, and I remember being really anxious to compete with them one day. So being able to do that now is such a blast. I have learned so much from them and have developed so many friendships, its great. I think I have been received pretty well, I get along great with everyone and hang out with them off the course as well.

QCDG.com: The USWDGC came here to the Quad Cities in 2009. Seeing that the USWDGC is designed to showcase the ladies side of disc golf, what does playing in an event like that mean to you and the advancement of disc golf for women in general, and how did you feel about your experiences here in the Quad Cities?

Liz: It means so much playing with women who share the same passion for the sport as I do. So many times women are often one of few in their area who play so coming together from all over the world is a great opportunity to meet other women. Also, being able to expect women there is huge. All women events are a great thing because they are usually really encouraging and accommodating to every skill level. It also gives amateur women an opportunity to watch top pros who they otherwise would not be able to if there isn’t a larger event held where they live. They can be encouraged knowing that it is possible to play at a high level not only males.

I had a really great time in the quad cities. It gave me an opportunity to reconnect with girls I hadn’t seen in a few years as well as revisit some of the courses. I actually got my first ever 1000 rated round at Middle park, which I will always remember! I did lose an ace disc at West Lake which I was super bummed about since I don’t have many of those. Other than that it was an amazing time. So thank you Quad Cities!

QCDG.com: How do you feel the Women’s side of disc golf differs from that of the Men’s, good and/or bad, and what do you see that could b done to help further disc golf for women?

Liz: A huge way the women’s side differs is the numbers that compete in tournaments. I can easily count 10 tournaments I have showed up to in the past few years where I was the only female signed up in my division. This is extremely disheartening because you have decide if you want to compete solo or switch to a male division. Males almost never have this dilemma because they dominate the sport. It is hard to say what needs to be done to draw more women into the sport because everyone plays for their own reasons. All I can really say is to always be supportive and encouraging to women to keep them feeling good about playing and wanting to be involved in the sport.

QCDG.com: On what type of course do you feel you have an advantage over your competition; tight, technical courses or more of the big bomber style courses?

Liz: I would say big bomber style courses, but not because I throw far. I feel like tight and technical courses even the playing field out more. Probably because it’s easier to get bad breaks over the next person, if you are even just inches off your line. I am very consistent with placement shots, I rarely throw a shot way off of where I am intending so even if someone is out driving me every shot I can back it up with an upshot that is going to put me near the basket. It just means I have a longer approach.

QCDG.com: What aspect of your game do you feel is your strongest and gives you an edge on your competition? Do you have any advice that would help others improve in that area as well?

Liz: I think my mental toughness and putting is what gives me an edge over the competition. I can let things go pretty quickly, I rarely will get upset over a bad shot because I know they are inevitable. In doing that I am able to keep myself together and focus on the next one. I feel if you dwell on the shot it will put you in a frustrating state of mind and it could cause the rest of your round to go downhill. Putting has been my strong suit since the beginning because I feel the weakest part of my game is my upshots. I have a consistent putting style that works for me and so I think the repetition of that is what has helped give me the confidence I need every time I step up to a putt.

QCDG.com: Mental toughness and focus are very important to success in disc golf. As you’re playing your rounds what do you do to keep in the right frame of mind? Can you tell of a situation where you had to dig deep within yourself using that process to overcome a negative situation?

Liz: I have to tell myself that I am playing the course and not my competition, when I put my game into prospective that way I play better. I’m more focused on what I am doing and not what everyone else is. Trying to play catch up can be really frustrating and cause you to play bad because you are trying to make things happen. There have been many times where I was behind so many strokes during a tournament and I was trying too hard to catch up and it was just making me lose more and more strokes because I was trying to make opportunities that weren’t there. Luckily, it was the second of a four round tournament so I was able to dig deep and just play my game and not anyone else’s. I was able to get myself back into a better position and ended up placing really well.

QCDG.com: When playing a round during a tournament would you consider yourself an aggressive player or does a more conservative approach suit your game? Could you give an example of when you had to make that decision and most importantly tell us the thought process you went through in deciding to “go for it” or to “play it safe”?

Liz: I would consider myself to be more conservative during tournament play. I like to get my birdies and other opportunities to gain strokes when they come, I don’t like to force anything. Usually what goes through my head when deciding if I should be more aggressive on a shot is figuring out if it is worth it. I mean if I error the shot I could end up in worse trouble. I am hoping to become a little more aggressive though, sometimes I feel I come up short because I am playing too safe.

QCDG.com: What are your goals for the 2010 season and is there anything that stands out for you at the top of that list?

Liz: Some goals would be to have better finishes at Worlds and Women’s nationals. I took 6th and 4th so any improvement I would probably be ok with. Also, winning a national tour event and getting a spot to compete in the USDGC. Also, defending my mix doubles title with Eric McCabe. Of those I would like to win a national tour.

Thanks so much to Liz for sharing her time with us at QuadCityDiscGolf.com!