The best is yet to come…

Jeremiah 29:11

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. “

I could not think of a more fitting verse of scripture for my life at this moment. My God amazes me in how detailed and concerned he is with my dreams and desires. How he loves me… Oh how he loves me… It’s a bizarre thought isn’t it? He loves me enough to give me complete peace and assurance on when the time is right to lay down a season in my life and when to wonderfully pick up another. I am thrilled to announce that I have picked up the other! I will be laying down the torch of playing golf at the professional level.

I competed in my final event a few weeks ago in Orlando Florida. As I walked off of the last green I can proudly say that I was relieved about closing this chapter in my life, and very much excited about what God has in store for my future.

What a chapter it has been! I began playing when I was 13 years old. I had dreams of playing at the collegiate level. I earned a full scholarship after high school to Jacksonville State University and competed with some of the most amazing girls and coaching staff for 4 years. JSU helped mold me into who I am today both intellectually and my golf game as well. While at JSU I began developing the next level of my dream, which was competing at the professional level. I graduated from JSU in August of 2010 and turned professional shortly after. I moved to Orlando Florida and began competing on the Suncoast Ladies Series tour.

After competing at the professional level for the first year, I began to feel a change in heart. The idea of not playing golf professionally was relieving. I battled for many months with the idea of complete peace, but once I received that peace there was no looking back. I made my decision and have never been more excited for the beautiful road head.

Like everything He does, God has been preparing the ground a head of me for many years. My answered prayer marched into my life almost two years ago. He has made me a better follower of Christ, became my very best friend and stolen my heart. I am ecstatic to say that Chad and I are engaged and will be tying the knot in the spring of 2013! We are so excited and believe the best is yet to come in our lives. We are a dynamic team who is devoted to following Christ along with our dreams and hearts desires.

I am now living my dream. I believe I am drawing near to reaching my full potential. Was playing golf my full potential? It possibly was at that time in my life, but God had it all planned out. I believe He used golf to teach me many life lessons. Golf developed me into who I am today.  By no means am I quitting golf, I am simply changing the way I play. I will never forget where I came from. I am in love with the game and always will be.

With that being said, I would like to thank everyone who helped make this possible. Thank you mom and dad for all of your support since day one. You both are the best cheerleaders I could have ever asked for, my fiancé, Chad for pushing me through the difficult times, coaches, sponsors, friends and family for making this dream a reality. For without all of you, I would not be as happy and fulfilled as I am today. You have made a dream come true and I am forever thankful for that!

            I will continue to play this wonderful game of golf and live life to the fullest. My journey is just beginning.

Thank you all again for everything you have done for me

Happy wedding planning everybody! 

Round four - Futures Qualifying School Stage II

Hello everyone. I apologize again for the late post. After the completion of the final stage at Qschool Friday afternoon, I had the privilege of watching the Tide ROLL into victory in Gainesville, Fl Saturday night! I did not arrive back to my apartment until late Sunday night.
Well, if any of you have previously seen or heard the results of the final day at Qschool you will understand why I am saying what I am about to say, Thank God for another day! I am so thankful that I serve a God who guides me through difficult times and questions in life. I did not play well again during Friday’s round, which rapped up not only a tournament of ups and downs, but an entire season.
I carded an 83 during Friday‘s round. I started the day off fairly steady on the front nine with two great saves for par on holes eight and nine, but found myself on a bogey streak once again on the back nine. I was having trouble off the tee which left me with many difficult second shots into the green. On the back nine, everything seemed to collapse yet again. It was an all too familiar feeling as I made big numbers on my last two holes to leave a very bad taste in my mouth. Needless to say, I did not make the cut (top 70 and ties) to move onto Qualifying Stage III, but I will gain some sort of status on the Futures Tour for the 2012 season. I will not be told what my level of status is until the last week of November.
This was not only the biggest event on my schedule for the year, but it was my last event for this season as well. As I am wrapping up my season in words for you I am also packing things up here in Florida to head back to my beloved home land of Alabama, and I must admit I am very excited!
If you have been following along during my 2011 season on the SunCoast tour you may recall many emotional rollercoaster’s I have faced. I began the year really struggling to keep up with my fellow playing partners off of the tee. My lack of distance was a crutch that I was forced to play with most season. But, also within this year I have been connected with my new swing coach Patti McGowan. I truly thank God for connecting Patti and I. Between the two of us; we are in the early stages of unlocking the key to what I believe is my success. My swing has made drastic improvements this year and in return I have gained 10-15 yards off of the tee!
The future is looking bright with Patti and I working together. With many more hours of hard work and determination I WILL be one of the longer players off of the tee this time next year.
Also you may recall my total score at the end of most tournaments to be filled with shots I was not pleased with. Although that is a true statement, I will not see my 2011 season as a complete failure. I was once told that even the biggest failures, the worst, most intractable mistake beats the heck out of never trying! This year wasn’t exactly what I had planned, but I know I gave it my best.
This was a year of growth and change for me. I have been living in Florida on my own which means I have learned a lot about myself and my golf game. I understand more than ever what it takes to compete at the level I will compete at one day. It is not an impossible goal by any means. It is a goal that I know I can achieve with God on my side and my supporting family, friends and coach.
I also want to thank everyone involved who helped me live out my dreams this year. My mom and dad who are always there as my number one fans, but also all the businesses and individuals who helped sponsor me in my journey to becoming a professional golfer. I would also like to give a special thanks to Mr. Bill Acker. Without you all, this year would not have been possible. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to live my dreams everyday!
As for next year, I am not exactly sure what my plans are. I know one thing is for certain, I am not finished yet. The best is yet to come for Ashley Cox :)
As I said earlier, I truly believe God is molding me. He is shaping me for greatness. I do not know when that day will come, but I do know it will come to pass.
The 2012 season on the SunCoast tour will not begin until mid spring. As of now I do not have any events in the near future. As soon I my schedule begins filling up I will keep you all posted.
Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers!


Jeremiah 29:11
　
　
　
　

Rounds One-Three - Futures Qualifying School Stage II

Hey everyone, I apologize for the late post. This week has been hectic to say the least. Lots of activities with most of my days being spent on the golf course.
The most anticipated tournament of the season is under way. I am here in Venice Florida along with 233 other professional female golfers this week for the Futures Qualifying Stage II tournament. We are playing Plantation Golf & Country Club for the duration of the four-day event. Plantation has 36 holes we have been playing, The Bobcat and The Panther, both of which are in excellent condition.
I arrived in Venice Saturday afternoon to begin preparation for this week. Upon arrival, I was told of all the recent weather problems this area had been facing. Rain, Rain and more rain had filled the skies weeks in advance of Qschool and up until Tuesday morning, it had yet to let up. Shortly after my practice round on Saturday afternoon, the rain set it and did not let up until Sunday afternoon. Sunday morning, I had just enough time to get out and play five holes before we were taken off the course and did not return for the rest of the day. And you guessed it, Monday proved to be the same result. I was able to complete four holes before calling it a day. I said all of this to say, the golf course has been extremely wet during these past three rounds, specifically the Panther course.
I began the week Tuesday afternoon with a 12:00 p.m. tee time on the Bobcat course. I started the day off with a bogey on the first, but quickly followed it up with a birdie on my second hole. With a few pars under my belt, I ran into a bit of trouble on my fifth hole of the day. After an errant tee shot, which was quickly followed up by an even worse second shot, I finished the hole with a triple bogeys seven. I made the turn after nine holes at three over. Unfortunately, the back nine matched the front. I had several birdies and several bogeys followed by one double bogey to finish the day at six over par, 78.
I teed off Wednesday morning on the Panther Course at 8:05. I pared the first and was off to a decent start, due to the length of the first hole. The second hole was playing as a 165-yard par three. I flared my tee shot out to the right and my ball managed to find its way in between three very large palm trees (the joys of playing in Florida). The pin was sitting about 10 paces on the green, which gave me plenty of green to work with, but I only had about six feet in between the trees to hit it. Somehow, I managed to slide my ball in-between the palms and my ball finished up four feet from the hole. I made the putt and between my caddy and myself, we declared that could have been one of the most interesting up and downs to save par I have ever had!
The next hole was a par five playing 537 yards with water down the left side and out of bounds along the right. I pushed my tee shot to the right and could not manage to advance it very much due to a downhill lie in the wet rough. After a double bogey there and many more mistakes, I finished the front nine with a 41. The back nine shown to be just as frustrating. With zero birdies and many more mistakes, I carded an 82 for the day. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. This week’s event is not about going low, but you must stay consistent to advance to the next qualifying stage.
After Wednesdays round, I knew it would take two very low rounds Thursday and Friday to even give myself a chance.
I was back on the Bobcat course this morning, the dryer of the two, with an 8:25 tee time. With great chip shots on the first three holes to save par, I went on a bogey streak. I bogeyed the fourth-sixth hole as well as the eight and ninth. Again, I found myself behind the eight ball after the turn! I had shot yet another 41 on the front nine and was not happy. Nothing seemed to be going my way. I knew I had to play well on the back nine to salvage a decent round for the day. I pared the tenth hole, but had yet another bogey on the eleventh and twelfth hole. I had a momentum change on the par four thirteenth hole when I hit my five wood to three feet to make the first birdie since Tuesday morning! With a bogey on the sixteenth and another on the seventeenth, I finished the back nine at one over par to card yet another 78 for the week.
Obviously, I am very disappointed in this week’s performance. I cannot take back what has happened, but I can learn from my mistakes and grow. I still have one more round, which will begin at 8:15 tomorrow morning on the Panther Course once again. I have not lost faith in my ability and believe it or not, am excited about seeing what tomorrow has in store. I will give it my all and move on. I will grow from this week and become a better golfer because of it.
I will keep you all posted as tomorrows round is completed.

Navistar Classic - Monday Qualifier

I apologize for the late post everyone.
I have been back in Alabama the past few weeks now and it has been wonderful! After some much needed time with family and friends I headed down to Prattville Alabama Sunday morning to begin preparing for the Monday Qualifier at the Navistar Classic. The Navistar tournament stop has only been on the LPGA tour for five years now, but it has quickly become one of the better tournaments on the LPGA schedule. With that being said, the golf course played extremely difficult. The course was definitely setup to host a top notch professional event.
I teed of Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. My very first tee shot was hit a little wayward missing the fairway by about 10 yards, but the penalty was severe. On most golf courses I would have been penalized, but had a decent shot into the green. I quickly learned that was not the case this week. My ball was sitting so low in the thick rough, it took all I had to advance it forty yards. I finished the hole with a double bogey and never really recovered.
After a par on hole number two, I followed it up with bogeys on holes three and four.
The pattern continued throughout the entire day. This golf course would not allow anything but perfect shots. A misjudged putt and you were facing a six-footer coming back. With only one birdie on the card for the day I finished the round with an 84.
I cannot say that I wasn’t disappointed with the outcome of Mondays round. I can be completely honest in saying that I truly enjoyed myself and I learned many things about my golf game and how amazing it is going to be one day when I tee it up again at that level. I did not play up to my standards, but I am able to see now how I stand when facing the most challenging golf course I have ever played. The environment was amazing, every golfers dream! I played a golf course that was roped off, had TV towers and grandstands all over the property. My family was there cheering me on every step of the way as well as my caddie.This level of golf required all players to have caddies. I was fortunate in having the very best caddie for my game this week, my boyfriend Chad was on the bag and did a fantastic job :) 
I will not let this week get me down. I am still preparing for Qualifying School which begins September 27^th-30^th in Venice Florida. Chad will be on the bag again during this event and my dad will be making a special trip down as well. I will be heading back to Florida at the end of this week to begin early preparations for the tournament.
I hope everyone has a great week and I will keep you posted as Qschool gets underway.

Round Three – Falcon’s Fire

Happy Friday everyone!
I carded a 5 over par, 78, during the last round of this week’s event. After a quick start with a birdie on the second, I made bogeys on the fifth and ninth hole to make the turn at +1, 37. I was feeling good about the first nine holes at the turn, but an errant third shot on the par 5 tenth left me with a tricky 12 footer up the hill to save par. I missed the putt and was now two over for the day. After pars on 11, 12 and 13 I was anxious for a birdie.

I thought the par five, 14^th would give me what I needed! The hole was playing a little longer due to wind and with a pin tucked in the back right corner of the green; I had a longer shot than I had on the previous days. I left my shot in the hazard short of the green. I managed an up and down to save par, but was dealt a very similar situation on the par four, 16^th. I did not manage to get up and down; therefore I doubled the hole, which was quickly followed by a bogey on the 17^th. At this point I am six over for the day and NOT a happy person. The 18^th played as a par five and I wanted nothing more than to finish this week strong with a birdie on the last. I hit two really good shots in and had 49 yards into the green. I hit the flag with my third, but the ball didn’t exactly drop. It stayed on the edge of the cup which left me with a tap in birdie!

This week was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to last week. My scores did not show it as much as I would have liked, but I am hitting the ball much better and have conquered some of the mental blocks that were occurring. I am very thankful for the next few weeks off to get prepared for the most important month of the Season. September not only hosts my little sister’s birthday (Happy early birthday!!) but it is the month I return to Alabama to give a go at the LPGA Navistar classic in Prattville Alabama. Most LPGA event’s host a one day qualifier before the tournament begins to give amateurs and professionals who have yet to make it to the tour, a try at making the cut. The qualifier is a one day event and the two lowest scores will have the opportunity to tee it up with the big girls later that week!Also, the most important four days of the year is quickly approaching. The last week in September is the Qualifying School to be eligible for the 2012 season on the Futures Tour. “QSchool” will be hosted by Plantation Golf Club in Venice Florida September 27^th-30^th.
I have many hours planned with my coach in the coming weeks and some much needed emphasis will be placed on my short game. I am excited to see what these next few events have in store for me and my future!

I hope you all have a great weekend and I will keep you updated as my journey back home gets under way!

Round Two - Falcon's Fire

The definition for the term “Déjà Vu” simply means - tedious familiarity. Today was just that. If you read last weeks blog following my very long days at Orange County National due to poor weather, you will soon begin to see a trend in today‘s round.
Today started out like most Florida mornings, sunny and hot! And then the clouds began to form. Not only in the sky, but within my bag as well. I started the day off with a par on the first and then began the second, which started the up hill climb for the remainder of the day. I bogeyed the next three holes in a row…and then the rain came. It started raining on #4, but didn’t stick around long. We played through the showers as I pared the next 2 holes. With a bogey on #7 and a birdie on #8, I made the turn at three over, 39.
After pars on holes ten and eleven, the clouds reappeared. Once my group finished number twelve, the weather sirens blew and we were called into the clubhouse due to a storm brewing around the course. Within an hour and a half the golf course had be drenched! Once the thunder and lightening cleared out, we returned to the very soggy thirteenth.
Obviously the wet grounds were making the golf course play much longer as well as slower. I came back from the rain delay with a bogey on #13 and a birdie on #15. With a par on #16 and bogeys on #17 and #18, I finished the day with a 6 over par, 79.
Today was an extremely disappointing day. I am really beginning to see improvements on some key fundamentals my coach and I are working on, but can’t seem to put anything together. It was very frustrating! Putting is usually my strong suite, and today it was the poorest part of my game.
With that being said, I am thankful to see improvements on the things I’ve been working so hard on. I know it will all come together SOON!
I tee it up for the final round tomorrow at 9:20 off of #1.
I will keep you posted as tomorrow comes to a close :)

Round One - Falcon's Fire

Hey Guys. I hope everyone had a great weekend! I teed it up today for round one at Falcon's Fire Golf Course in Kissimmee. The course is in good condition, with the exception of a few wet spots due to all the rain we received last week. The layout of the course has also been altered slightly. We are playing the course as a par 73 this week due to a very long par 4 which has had the tees backed up and converted into a par 5.
I played fairly solid today with the exception of one minor hiccup late in the round. I shot three over (76), with two birdies.
I started the day off with a birdie and a bogey on the front nine to make the turn at even par, 36.
After back to back bogeys on 12 and 13 I recovered nicely with a birdie on the 15^th. Then the “hiccup” happened. After a decent tee shot on #16, I short sided myself in the thick rough. My ball was sitting deep in the rough and I was unable to get anything on it. Needless to say a not so perfect situation and shot led to a very disappointing double. I finished the round with pars on 17 and 18 to shoot three over, 40 on the back 9.
I have taken away lots of positive thoughts from round one. My ball striking was much improved from last weeks event, as well as my thought process pre and post tee time.
I am excited to see what tomorrow holds! I feel like I am in a comfortable position to play well and capitalize on some opportunities.
I’ll keep you all posted as round two comes to a close!