Swinging into her senior year at Winthrop University is Alexis Brindley of the women’s golf team. From Marietta, Georgia, Brindley graduated in just three years this past May with a degree in Corporate Finance. She is currently pursuing her MBA, focusing on International Business.
“I fell in love with [Winthrop] the first visit and I’ve loved every single second of it since I’ve been here,” Brindley said.
During her time at Winthrop, Brindley has maintained a steady, successful athletic and academic record.
“I’ve worked super hard the past three years that I’ve been here, both academically and athletically, always setting really high standards for myself,” she said.
Her hard work in academics is paying off as Brindley was named in June to the All-American Scholars Team by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association for the third year in a row.
To qualify, female student athletes must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50. Winthrop had five players selected for 2019-20, which was the highest number of all Big South members.
During her junior year in 2019, Brindley was one of three Eagles to participate in all six events of the season, recording a season-low 76 during the opening round of the JU Amelia Island Collegiate on Feb. 17 and 18.
Before a tournament Brindley is always sure to have a new music playlist that mixes different artists and genres. In order to calm her nerves, she said she never listens to the exact same playlist twice.
“I’ll be able to hear those songs later, even months later, and I’ll be able to associate that with that tournament so it’s kind of cool to be able to jump back into that mindset just by listening to music,” Brindley said.
When Brindley was five, and before the thought of becoming a collegiate athlete had even entered her mind, her uncles gifted her and her sister (teammate Makenna Brindley) their first set of golf clubs.
“That’s when my dad started taking me and my sister out to the golf course just to hit some balls at the driving range,” Brindley said. “I didn’t actually like it that much until 13 or 14 [when I started] playing in tournaments.”
With her younger sister attending the same college and playing on the same golf team, Brindley has nothing but support for her sibling.The two played on the same team throughout high school, so college was the perfect opportunity for them to continue their athletic journey.
“I always want her to do her best,” Brindley said, “It’s always funny running into her like, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while.’ We usually just see each other at practice, but it’s always nice to know that she’s there if I ever need anything.”
Despite playing golf for the majority of her life, becoming a professional golfer was never Brindley’s dream.
“I think it’s very challenging, especially as a female professional athlete, to make a living out of that, which I’ve always known, so my goal really was just to make it to the collegiate level and enjoy my time here,” Brindley said.
Now in her fourth year at Winthrop, Brindley is looking forward to creating new memories with her close-knit team.
“I love traveling with my teammates. I love all the clothes that we get — we get some pretty cute outfits every year — and just the memories that I know will last a lifetime,” Brindley said.
During her freshman year, Brindley was able to travel to St. George, Utah for a tournament, along with a stop in Las Vegas, Nevada before returning to campus.
Although traveling tournaments are cancelled this semester due to the pandemic, Brindley is staying optimistic.
“I just want to soak in all this last year of experience that I can and just enjoy playing golf and enjoy being with my teammates because pretty soon I’ll be moving on and that won’t be my life anymore,” Brindley said.
Since the Eagles are in their in-season practice, they are allowed to work on a mix of weights and skills for twenty hours a week, though Brindley said Coach Kasay Gambrell is being “pretty lenient.”
“She’s been great with just keeping the atmosphere fun. We’ve been doing intersquad matches so we play against each other every week and it’s been super fun. This is probably the most fun I’ve had playing golf here,” Brindley said.
Since the team normally has seven tournaments divided up over the course of the entire school year, they are focused on preparing for a super busy spring season that will consist of all seven matches.
Once her 2020-21 season is complete, Brindley plans to graduate in December 2021 and find a career in the financial or sales world in Charlotte.
“It’s such a big banking hub, and given my finance background I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for me there,” Brindley said.
“I feel like I was such a baby when I got here and now I feel like I’m actually ready to take on the world because of all the experiences and opportunities that Winthrop has given me.”
Photo by Marisa Fields-Williams
Congratulations to Alexis, although I am not surprised at all. She was a sweet, bright, hard working elementary school student at Garrison Mill Elementary (in Cobb County, Ga.), where her mom teaches and all three Brindley sisters learned and blossomed, and I was fortunate to be their principal.
I am so proud of Alexis and her success.