Sophie Hausmann plans to play with the pros

After a stellar four-year career, a Vandal great has her eyes set on a chance to turn pro when her time at Idaho comes to an end.

Sophie Hausmann, a senior at the University of Idaho, is moving up in the ranks with intent to turn professional on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour.

Hausmann, a Germany native, came to the U.S. to continue her golf career while attending school at Idaho.

Hausmann began golfing at a young age in a family of four that golfed together on weekends.

“The beginnings were joking around on the driving range with plastic clubs playing more soccer than golf,” Hausmann said. “I eventually started doing some youth practice and when I was 12 or 13, I got more serious.”

Sophie Hausmann | Courtesy 

From there, Hausmann started playing competitively.

“I was playing international tournaments at 16, and that is when I decided to go to college,” Hausmann said.

In Germany, college is structured differently than in the U.S., making it difficult to study and compete in athletics at the same time, Hausmann said.

Colleges do not sponsor athletics typically. The club sport scene is what dominates athletics in Germany, she said.

“Sometimes you will have club teams, but if you go to college, you do not play for the school, you play for a club in the little free time you have,” Hausmann said.

There are a couple of athletic schools in England and Spain but Hausmann said she wanted to go for the bigger picture in the U.S.

“The United States knows what they are doing with so many schools that are so successful,” Hausmann said.

Hausmann made the decision to move away from her family in Germany to further her academics, and of course, her golf career. She signed up with a recruiting service and was connected to the Idaho.

Vandal Women’s Golf Head Coach Lisa Johnson found Hausmann through the recruiting service and compared her scores to other golfers she had been prospecting in Europe.

“I watched Sophie’s swing video and knew she had a lot of potential,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, Hausmann stuck with the decision to become a Vandal.

“I was in touch with other schools too,” Hausmann said. “I ended up choosing UI after a mix of everything, but a huge portion was a full scholarship.”

In Germany, college tuition is low, so the cost of moving and paying for school were a huge factor in Hausmann’s decision.

Hausmann said she averaged around 78 when she came to the U.S.

“I wanted to be in the top five since we only have 11 tournaments or so per year,” Hausmann said. “I did not want to set back and play for a top school but not actually play.”

Hausmann started improving when she got to Idaho.

“I knew she was going to be a strong player,” Johnson said. “I don’t think I fully realized how good she would be until she stepped foot on campus and I watched her practice.”

Idaho prepared Hausmann for the next steps in her career in many ways, she said. In Germany, she had a long commute to practice and had to schedule around school.

“Here I am able to practice much more because I can schedule my classes around golf,” Hausmann said.

Johnson also introduced the young golfer to the mental game that comes along with golf, Hausmann said.

“I thought I didn’t need it much, but Coach got me into the mental game to help me out and I realized how much it affects the game of golf,” Hausmann said. “I also started conditioning more and got stronger which added 20 or 30 yards to my swing.”

After four years at Idaho, two Big Sky titles and thousands of hours of practice, Hausmann said she has decided to turn professional.

“My main focus is qualifying here in the States in August,” Hausmann said. “There are three stages that you have to work through to get your tour card.”

Hausmann hopes to play in the LPGA tour and Johnson thinks she is more than ready.

“There are always challenges as you move from one level to the next,” Johnson said. “I am sure that she will encounter challenges but will also have great successes, she just needs to recognize who she is and the talent she has is good enough for her to win championships on the LPGA tour.”

Connor Swersey can be reached at [email protected]