TORONTO (CP) - Soft-spoken Alena Sharp is focusing on a simple piece of advice as she prepares for the start of her LPGA Tour career.
The Hamilton native has noticed a sharp increase in demands for her time since getting through qualifying school two weeks ago and is now looking forward to following hall of fame golfer Marlene Streit's lead and letting her performance speak for itself.
"Marlene's always told me to let my clubs do the talking," Sharp said early Monday morning after an appearance on a local television show. "It's good to get the recognition, but I really just want to go out and play golf.
"I'm a humble person."
It might be hard for some to remain humble after being asked over and over to talk about themselves, but Sharp clearly prefers facing pressure situations on the course than speaking into microphones off it.
The 24-year-old realized her dream of making it to the LPGA Tour by tying for 16th at qualifying school. With nine holes to play in the five-round event she was outside the qualifying line before going 3-under par down the stretch to earn an exemption.
"That's what was shocking - it all came together over nine holes," Sharp said. "The whole tournament I played well, but didn't really score well. And then I finally did it, I finally got paid off.
"I'll never forget those nine holes."
Since the end of Q-school, Sharp has spent most of her time relaxing. She'll be spending the holidays in Hamilton before travelling to Australia to visit family.
By the end of January, Sharp will be back in Arizona - where she lives during the season - preparing for her first full year on the top women's golf tour in the world.
She plans on playing the first four events of the year, starting with the SBS Open in Oahu, Hawaii, on Feb. 16. Only then will she fully appreciate what she's accomplished.
"It's still a weird feeling because it's the off-season," said Sharp. "It won't hit me until next year when I'm not playing on the Futures Tour.
"There'll be more of a realization in a few months."
Sharp's Q-school caddy and close friend Tara Bateman will start the season in the same role. That may change before the summer because Bateman is a Futures Tour player and Sharp says she is reluctant to see her friend give up her playing career.
Beyond that, Sharp is hoping to make the cut in "90 per cent" of the events she enters in her rookie season.
She's also looking forward to joining ranks with fellow Canadian touring pros Lorie Kane, Dawn Coe-Jones and A.J. Eathorne.
"The Canadians are really friendly," said Sharp, adding that Eathorne has already welcomed her to the group and offered some advice. "I think I'm in good hands."
A spot on the LPGA Tour is something she started seriously working towards at the age of 16, when she began separating herself from her peers. Sharp won the Ontario Junior Championship in 1997 and 1998 and captured the Canadian Junior Championship in 1999.
Following that, she moved onto New Mexico State University and earned a degree in business management while playing on a golf scholarship. Sharp was an all-American in 2003, her final year of college.
After turning professional, she won five events on the West Coast Ladies' Golf Tour in 2004 and played well on the Futures Tour in 2005.
She set a five-year goal of making it to the LPGA Tour when she turned professional in August 2003 and worked hard to see it through.
"Trying to get there can be stressful," said Sharp. "But you just have to believe in yourself and stay positive.
"When you're so close to doing it, you just can't give up."
