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Nerves bother champ as much as competition
By BRANT JAMES © St. Petersburg Times, published April 12, 2001 BROOKSVILLE -- Barbara Breesmen doesn't see 10 a.m. too often, not when she works the 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift for a medical transcription firm. A special occasion will have her up this morning, however, as she tries to defend her title in the Dogwood Invitational at Brooksville Golf & Country Club. Breesmen, 49, won her second Dogwood last season by 17 strokes, the largest margin in the event's 29 years. She also won the title in 1995, but that doesn't ease the anxiety pangs before the first tee shot. "I worry about the first day," Breesmen said. "My main concern is the first tee. I hate that shot. It's nerves, but the first hole in the tournament sets the tone. "For me personally, hitting that first good shot makes it a little easier. I don't have to work quite as hard. I don't have to birdie, but if I hit the first fairway, it takes off a lot of pressure." Though she said she's hitting the ball better this year, Breesmen still worries about Karen Greenway, who was fourth last year, and Jean Keen in the two-day, 36-hole event. Both will be in her first-day group in the championship flight. "If I can keep hitting the ball like I have, I'll be pleased," Breesmen said. "I think I'll win or lose it on the greens. If I can hit some 6- to 10-footers, I think I can be close." Breesmen, who plays in the Brassies traveling club and in a league at The Dunes, said she has been trying to hit a bucket of balls each day to prepare. "If I can keep my timing and tempo, I'll be a lot better off," she said. Speaking of off, that's what she'll be tonight. "I take the day before the final round," she said. "Work has been really good about that."
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