Two of Kansas’ women’s golfers, sophomores Meghna Bal and Grace Thiry, have come from exotic lands to the small, northeast corner of Kansas to pursue their dreams. Bal came to Kansas from New Delhi, India, and Thiry came from Melbourne, Australia, both to play golf. Even though they started in different places, they’re trying to get to the same destination: the LPGA.

Both athletes started playing golf long before they got to college. Bal said her dad forced her to start playing and training when she was 13 years old. After Bal spent two months training with a private coach in South Africa, she really opened up to the idea of playing golf.

“I really hated it when I started it,” Bal said. “My dad was really desperate for me to play and I eventually warmed up to it.”

Thiry started playing when she was 10 years old and her dad was also the one that got her started. Thiry said her parents had her and her sister train and play in tournaments and realized their potential.

“We just started playing proper rounds and kept getting bigger and better as time went on,” Thiry said.

But getting from India and Australia to the United States was a very different process for both athletes. Bal had come to the United States for her junior and senior years of high school. Bal attended a boarding school that specialized in golf and tennis in Florida and was scouted by Kansas then.

“Going to college in America wasn’t even a thought for me and my parents,” Bal said. “All of these aspirations of the LPGA and college came really late in high school.”

Thiry realized early on that she would have to come to the United States to keep playing golf. Thiry said there wasn’t really an opportunity to attend school and play golf in Australia and decided to start e-mailing coaches in the U.S. about playing.

“Kansas was kind of a random pick for me,” Thiry said. “I didn’t know much about America and the first time I came here was when I came to KU.”

Bal and Thiry have full-ride golf scholarships to Kansas and are working on degrees in sports management. Even though they now say their dreams are to stay in the U.S. and continue with golf, Bal and Thiry said that Kansas had taken some time to get used to.

Both athletes said the weather was one of the hardest things to adjust to. Bal said that it only gets as cold as 45 degrees in India and that the cold here is really hard to deal with. Thiry said that she was glad that Kansas actually had real seasons and the campus was pretty in the different seasons.

“It’s the best and worst thing about coming to Kansas,” Thiry said. “It’s so pretty but I can’t stand the cold.”

While they are both adjusting to life in Kansas they each miss things about home too. Bal said she missed the food in India “desperately.” There are a few restaurants downtown that had good Indian food, she said but also said she wished she knew how to cook better so she could make Indian food herself.

“It’s kind of sad when we go to the same restaurants so much that the waiters know what we want as soon as we get there,” Bal said.

Thiry grew up on the coast in Australia and has had adjust to living in a landlocked state. Thiry said she grew up in a big city and that the beach was about five minutes from her house.

“I really like Lawrence but it’s just so different for me,” Thiry said.

Coach Erin O’Neil said that Bal and Thiry have done a good job of adjusting to life in college and being away from home.

“They’ve both grown up really quickly since they’ve been here,” O’Neil said.

After they settled into Kansas Bal and Thiry got down to business with golf. With two years left to play, both athletes think they have what it takes to make it to the pros. Both players want their experience at Kansas to give them the final edge they need to make it to the LPGA.

O’Neil said the two have made a huge impact on the team the past two seasons. O’Neil said that they both travel a lot for the team and are very hard working during practice.

“College is a good way to prepare them for going pro,” O’Neil said. “They both have the ability and work ethic to do whatever they set their minds on.”

Thiry said she thought that her game had improved a lot since she came to Kansas. She said that the courses here are longer and that she has learned to play more consistently since she’s been on the team. Thiry said that being on the team has taught her not to try random, risky shots because it could affect the whole team.

“At the end the scores come together and it affects everyone,” Thiry said. “It’s not just about me.”

Bal said that she hoped to keep improving her game while she was at Kansas. Bal said that the coaching staff has been really integral in helping her improve her game and preparing for tournaments.

“The team is always getting better and I’m glad I have the opportunity to play here,” Bal said.

— — Edited by Sam Speer