BENTONVILLE — Gaby Lopez stood in front of a large crowd dressed in her favorite colors of red, white and green.
The former University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, All-American is used to playing in front of large galleries every week on the LPGA Tour. But the setting on this day was not on a tee box or putting green. This was center stage at the Sam’s Club home office, and the gallery was hundreds of young female golfers at the Tee-Up Your Future event, sponsored by the First Tee of Northwest Arkansas.
Lopez is in her second year on the LPGA Tour after finishing third in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year rankings in 2016. In 26 starts, she made the cut in 22 events last season and earned $327,031, which was 60th on the money list. Just two weeks ago, she had her best finish yet with a tie for seventh at the Shoprite LPGA Classic, earning a $34,412 paycheck.
On this day, the focus was on empowering the girls to set their goals high and work tirelessly to achieve them. It was a message the participant took to heart.
“She’s such a hard worker. She’s driven to be successful, and she’s very confident in herself,” Siloam Springs junior Brinkley Beaver said. “I asked her about her mental game, and she said that she just knows herself enough that when she’s getting worked up to remain calm and stay in control. And that’s one thing that I personally need help with.”
Lopez, who played in the 2016 Olympics as a member of the Mexico team, said using professional golf as a stage to inspire others is something she takes pride in.
She said professional golfers, such as former LPGA star Lorena Ochoa, were a huge influence in her life, and she hopes she can have that same impact at events like this one to reach the young golfers.
“I was one of them at one time,” Lopez said. “And I remember that to hear a successful athlete speak, they were inspiring. Right now for me to have this little power that I have, just to share my experience and have an impact on these girls, it just means the world.”
Stacy Lewis, another former All-American at Arkansas, said Lopez is still learning the ropes on the pro tour. Lewis said her former teammate will continue to climb the LPGA rankings.
“She’s doing good. I think she’s going through the learning curve of playing professional golf and learning how to play every single week,” Lewis said. “That’s the hardest part. She had a good rookie year and finished in the top 40, so she more than kept her card. She did a lot of great things last year. I look for her to continue to improve over these next couple of years.”
Kaitlyn Robinson, a sophomore at Siloam Springs High School who admits her golf game “isn’t as good as I would like it to be, honestly,” said what she learned from Lopez’s speech is to set high goals.
“She was really insightful, and I think one of the things that I really picked up from her is to always believe in yourself,” Robinson said. “She said that she had set really big goals for herself, and I myself have really big goals. So that’s really inspiring to know that because you have big goals, and you think it might be impossible, that it doesn’t mean that you can’t reach them if you put in the hard work and keep working toward it.”
Lopez said she became involved in the NWA First Tee program when she was at Arkansas. The women’s golf team at Arkansas has close connections with the program, which is directed by Mike Shea and is based at a First Tee facility in Lowell.
“Shauna (Estes-Taylor, the Arkansas women’s golf coach) and Mike have done a great job to involve the girls with the First Tee,” Lopez said. “The First Tee can offer them so many opportunities to get a scholarship and maybe get their degree and play golf.”
That is the plan for Robinson, who started playing golf about three years ago with her father when she lived at an apartment complex with a golf course.
But even if she’s not able to continue her golf career in college, Robinson says she will continue to make the game part of her life.
“I really want to play in college, but even if I don’t play in college, I want to play recreationally,” she said. “We kind of learned about how the First Tee has the nine core values and how it ties in not with just everyday life, but corporate life, how having a connection and treating people with these nine core values — like courtesy and respect and persevering to get to that next level — it really pays off at the end.”
Beever said her swing in softball led her to try golf a few years ago and she has benefited from her First Tee experience, traveling to several First Tee events around the country because of it.
She is working hard on her game, hoping to play at the next level, but sports will be a big part of her life even if college golf does not work out.
“I would love to play on the LPGA if I have that opportunity, but I’m probably going to major in sports broadcasting because I love sports,” she said.
Lopez said she looks forward to more opportunities to speak with young golfers.
“I love to give back to the sport. This sport has given me so many experiences and so many great memories,” she said. “This is one of the ways I can give back to the sport and give back to the girls because if I had not been inspired by these players, I have no idea where I would be.
“You never know if one of these girls in this room is going to become a professional golfer or a professional athlete.”
Lopez has made some changes in her game this season, primarily her putting. She’s had a slow start to the season so far, but she maintains a confidence in her game.
“In life and golf like everything else there’s ups and downs,” Lopez said. “Right now I’m in a little bit of a transition making some changes. I’m trying to get the right feel and try to have the best touch and speed, so I’m doing everything I can.”
At A Glance
GABY LOPEZ
BORN Nov. 9, 1993 HOMETOWN Mexico City, Mexico CURRENT RESIDENCE Mexico City ROOKIE YEAR 2016 2016 EARNINGS $327,031 (60th) MAJOR WINS None NOTABLE Was a two-time All-American golfer at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. … Finished third in Rolex Rookie of the Year standings in 2016. … Member of the Mexico Olympic team, where she had an eagle. … Earned her degree in communications from Arkansas in 2016.