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Ana Belac
Photo by: Clyde Click
On the Green with Ana Belac
12/2/2019 9:31:00 AM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C.— As Duke senior Ana Belac recently completed her final fall campaign with the Blue Devils, she took time to sit down with GoDuke.com to talk about LPGA Q-School, living off campus, the fall and it being her final season with the Blue Devils. She closed the 2018 campaign with a co-medalist honors at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta, Ga., and was recently named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List.
GoDuke.com: How nice was it to end the fall season with an individual medalist honor at the East Lake Cup?
Ana Belac: It was definitely a very exciting moment, as I got back into the winning circle after a 2-year drought. My game has been becoming more and more consistent throughout the year but did not 'click', so I was really happy when that finally happened at East lake.
GD: You birdied five of the final seven holes to help tie for first and lead Duke to the No. 1 seed. What is that feeling like when you get hot like that over a stretch of holes?
AB: As I mentioned, I haven't gotten "hot" on the course in a long time, so when my putts started to roll in and I could clearly see the line on every single putt I knew I had that feeling back and I just tried to enjoy the moment and get as many birdies out of it as I could. The biggest factor is probably the confidence that enabled me to carry on the hot streak without starting to count birdies and panic.
GD: Being one of the lone seniors on the squad, have you been trying to take the freshmen under your wing and help them adjust to being a Duke student-athlete?
AB: This year I am very close with the freshmen: I am trying to be there for them as much as I can and help them transition to a new environment, and pretty much trying to be the person I needed when I was going through the same transitioning period. It's a lot of fun having two amazing freshmen on my team and build a friendship, sister-like bond with them.
GD: You competed in two stages of LPGA Q-School this fall, how was that experience?
AB: The two weeks of Q-School were the most nerve wracking two weeks of my life. The thought that a couple of rounds could make or break my life for the next year or so was really hard to keep away on the course, so I didn't perform as well as I wanted, especially at the second stage which prevented me from advancing to the Q Series. But looking back, everything happens for a reason and gaining some extra experience on the Symetra Tour will be very valuable to my professional golf career.
GD: Is it hard to believe you only have one semester left of being a collegiate student-athlete. How fast has it gone by for you?
AB: It really just hit me this year. Becoming close with our freshmen kind of enabled me to relive my freshman experience and reminded me of how fast the time at Duke has passed. I feel like I've gained a tremendous amount of experience and as cliché as it may sound, I truly became a different, grown up and responsible person. I am trying my best to enjoy the last couple months as a student-athlete at Duke and live the experience as much as I can, but I am also excited and ready to start a new chapter of my life as a professional golfer.
GD: This year you have your own apartment. How has that been and do you end up cooking much? If so what are your go-to recipes?
AB: Living off campus is probably one of the best things that happened to me. I was used to certain foods growing up and I those foods when I lived on campus. Getting used to meal prepping was a really exciting journey as I love to cook. When I have enough time, I like to make a tuna steak or pasta, and I usually spend my Friday nights baking.
GD: On social media, it seems like you enjoy coffee. What do you like in your coffee?
AB: Again, the transition to American coffee was a series of trial and error when it comes to my favorite drink. My favorite is still the Italian cappuccino with almond milk and extra shot of espresso, but on a daily basis I opt for dark roast black coffee – no sugar and no cream.
GD: What does this team need to do to be successful in the spring season?
AB: The team has a tremendous amount of talent, probably one of the most talented teams in Duke history. So I strongly believe that as long everyone is ready to put in enough work to get their games to the level they're capable of playing and doesn't forget to have fun and enjoy the experience along the way, we'll be successful.
GoDuke.com: How nice was it to end the fall season with an individual medalist honor at the East Lake Cup?
Ana Belac: It was definitely a very exciting moment, as I got back into the winning circle after a 2-year drought. My game has been becoming more and more consistent throughout the year but did not 'click', so I was really happy when that finally happened at East lake.
GD: You birdied five of the final seven holes to help tie for first and lead Duke to the No. 1 seed. What is that feeling like when you get hot like that over a stretch of holes?
AB: As I mentioned, I haven't gotten "hot" on the course in a long time, so when my putts started to roll in and I could clearly see the line on every single putt I knew I had that feeling back and I just tried to enjoy the moment and get as many birdies out of it as I could. The biggest factor is probably the confidence that enabled me to carry on the hot streak without starting to count birdies and panic.
GD: Being one of the lone seniors on the squad, have you been trying to take the freshmen under your wing and help them adjust to being a Duke student-athlete?
AB: This year I am very close with the freshmen: I am trying to be there for them as much as I can and help them transition to a new environment, and pretty much trying to be the person I needed when I was going through the same transitioning period. It's a lot of fun having two amazing freshmen on my team and build a friendship, sister-like bond with them.
GD: You competed in two stages of LPGA Q-School this fall, how was that experience?
AB: The two weeks of Q-School were the most nerve wracking two weeks of my life. The thought that a couple of rounds could make or break my life for the next year or so was really hard to keep away on the course, so I didn't perform as well as I wanted, especially at the second stage which prevented me from advancing to the Q Series. But looking back, everything happens for a reason and gaining some extra experience on the Symetra Tour will be very valuable to my professional golf career.
GD: Is it hard to believe you only have one semester left of being a collegiate student-athlete. How fast has it gone by for you?
AB: It really just hit me this year. Becoming close with our freshmen kind of enabled me to relive my freshman experience and reminded me of how fast the time at Duke has passed. I feel like I've gained a tremendous amount of experience and as cliché as it may sound, I truly became a different, grown up and responsible person. I am trying my best to enjoy the last couple months as a student-athlete at Duke and live the experience as much as I can, but I am also excited and ready to start a new chapter of my life as a professional golfer.
GD: This year you have your own apartment. How has that been and do you end up cooking much? If so what are your go-to recipes?
AB: Living off campus is probably one of the best things that happened to me. I was used to certain foods growing up and I those foods when I lived on campus. Getting used to meal prepping was a really exciting journey as I love to cook. When I have enough time, I like to make a tuna steak or pasta, and I usually spend my Friday nights baking.
GD: On social media, it seems like you enjoy coffee. What do you like in your coffee?
AB: Again, the transition to American coffee was a series of trial and error when it comes to my favorite drink. My favorite is still the Italian cappuccino with almond milk and extra shot of espresso, but on a daily basis I opt for dark roast black coffee – no sugar and no cream.
GD: What does this team need to do to be successful in the spring season?
AB: The team has a tremendous amount of talent, probably one of the most talented teams in Duke history. So I strongly believe that as long everyone is ready to put in enough work to get their games to the level they're capable of playing and doesn't forget to have fun and enjoy the experience along the way, we'll be successful.
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PLAYER
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