Easy Transition to Big Red Country

By Ethen Lieser
AsianWeek Staff Writer

The flatlands of eastern Nebraska have two things to offer in mass quantities: beer and football. The football team is known as the Big Red, and the beer is known for being dirt cheap. And on any given autumn Saturday, Big Red and cheap beer unite to make a mosh pit out of the usually conservative capital city of Lincoln. Truly, it’s a celebration of Mardi Gras magnitude.

Last year, 19-year-old Merynn Ito, fresh out of high school in Aiea, Hawai‘i, gladly joined this hooligan atmosphere and cheered on the Big Red football team with all her might. She just doesn’t have to get inebriated to do so.

“Football beer drinkers don’t really bother me,” she said. “You just have to stay away from them. I absolutely love attending all the football games and being a part of a school with one of the best programs in the nation.”

Ito, too, is on the verge of helping the Cornhusker women’s golf team attain such lofty status. Though Nebraska closed out its season this spring with a 19th place finish at the NCAA Central Regional, Ito’s presence and precocious play has heralded a bright future for the golf program.

Ito, who was also recruited by Colorado State, UC Irvine and San Jose State, completed her freshman season ranked third on the team in scoring average. But Nebraska head coach Robin Krapfl expected that type of performance anyway.

“I really did expect her to do well,” Krapfl said. “The first time I saw her, I was amazed at how well she knew her own game and how disciplined she was. She was not concerned with what club anyone else hit or how anyone else played a hole. She had her own game plan and stuck with it. It’s a rare trait for a young player.”

For a young player, Ito already has her short game down. But she has to, or she probably wouldn’t be on a Division I golf team. Ito isn’t a big hitter (her average drive is 225 yards), and she’s the first to admit that.

“I was forced to develop a good short game because I don’t hit the ball very far. I come in with longer clubs on my approach shots than most players, so it is harder to be accurate with them. Many times I’ll miss the green and have to get up and down to save my par.”

Ito saved par many times last season. But it all came down to adjustments — the trademark of any great golfer. While Ito dominated the high school golf scene, success didn’t come so easy at first. Blame it on the golf course, Ito said.

“For high-school tournaments, the courses I played in Hawai‘i had no rough and were no longer than 6,000 yards,” she said. “In college tournaments, they are at least 6,100 yards and sometimes grow rough so thick that I need to hit a seven iron to just get it out.”

Next year, the courses likely won’t get any longer, so Ito can just concentrate on her all-around game. She wants to lower her scoring average by at least two strokes, and hopefully get a top-10 team finish in the NCAA Regionals.

“I am counting on her to be a player we can depend on every round,” Krapfl said. “I expect her scoring average to improve two-to-three shots from last season.”

Could she be following the footsteps of Se Ri Pak into the professional ranks?

“She needs to pick up some distance to have a shot at professional golf,” Krapfl said. “But she has all the shots and the mental toughness that it takes to compete at the next level.”

Reach Ethen Lieser at elieser@asianweek.com.