Coming out as the No. 1 recruit in 2012, Emma Talley was awarded the last spot on the women’s golf team. Since her arrival, Talley has brought more than just experience to the team.

Talley has been in the starting lineup since she joined the team, averaging 73.00 points last season. And she compete in the Kraft Nabisco Championship later this month.

“I think both [Alabama golf and my career] correlate together because it’s an individual sport; no matter what, I’m trying to get better,” Talley said. “The players in college are really, really good. I think getting better as a golfer in general helps. I try not to separate them that much because you need to be good at both levels. I want to finish school; I want to play for Alabama. I want to do more than I’ve already done.”

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Hailing from Princeton, Ky., Talley said she was accustomed to Alabama traditions long before she accepted the Crimson Tide’s offer. She said she visited the campus about six times before she started getting offers.

“I really liked the coaches and the facilities here,” Talley said. “I wanted to be close to home, so this wasn’t that far away from home – five hours compared to a flight. I also wanted to be in the South. Alabama fit me well. Tuscaloosa fit me well. I loved the campus; I loved everything about it. It just felt like home to me.”

Known as the life of the party by coach Mic Potter, Talley is always the person to be around. The sophomore is fun and outgoing and never dull, he said.

“If you have the U.S. Amateur on your team, that’s obviously a benefit,” Potter said. “More than that – leadership and personality. One thing we need to do is keep it fun and entertaining. She’s sort of the ‘life of the party’ kind of girl. She always has something going on, but for us to be successful she’s got to bring her golf scores that she’s capable of.”

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Besides the U.S. Amateur, Talley qualified for the 2011 and 2012 U.S. Open, placing 46th in 2012. Talley also won 10 times in the American Junior Golf Association. She set a 22-stroke record in the AJGA.

Despite the accolades, Talley said she knows golf is just a game and wants to enjoy it.

“I have fun, and that’s the main thing,” Talley said. “I have a new motto this semester, and that is to wake up and instead of being stressed about the day, be positive. I know that has been a huge aspect to my college life because my perspective has changed.”

Talley and the Crimson Tide will compete in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate this weekend in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

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