Following Victoria Gailey on her first career LPGA start

A few weekends back, Matchstick pro Victoria Gailey took her first swing on the LPGA Tour. The Tigard, Ore. native was extended an invite to the Portland Classic, a long-running event, with this year's tournament being held just down the road from Matchstick HQ at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

Victoria been tearing it up on the ANNIKA WAPT, including a win at the FCA Championship. In nine events, she's missed the cut just twice. In four-round tournaments, she's never finished outside the Top 15.

To put it simply: our girl's been crushing it.

And so, in the heat of August, with a crowd of some 40 people around the first tee, Victoria made her debut on golf's top stage. As I watched from below the tee box, I saw what I see every time I watch Queen Vic play; she took a deep breath, found her line... and ripped a drive 30 yards past her playing partners directly down the middle of the fairway.

Victoria, who also happens to be one of the University of Nevada's best golfers of all-time, later told me that it was the most nervous she'd ever been standing over a golf ball. Despite that, the real challenge turned out to be the heat.

Teeing off at 2:16 pm the first day, she was the last group to go out. Portland, in the midst of a heatwave, was a sweltering 101° with almost zero wind. As I walked with friends and family of the Gaileys, I wondered if instead of a camera I should have been carrying one of those rolling coolers filled with Gatorade. But I digress.

Early morning scores were low, with the greens being grippy and putts perhaps being a bit less... twitchy.

But for Victoria and playing partners Dana Fall and Ayako Uehara, it was like glass. Birdies were scarce, with Vic going under par on Nos. 7, 11, and 15.

Meanwhile, at the turn I began to feel as though melting through the well-kept turf at CECC was perhaps a preferable way to leave this mortal coil.

But I soldiered on, dropping my enormous camera at the pro shop and loading up on waters from my friends at Chubby Bunny.

Perhaps the best shot of the night from Victoria came on No. 9. Stuck in the right rough with a wide, downward and right-to-left sloping green, a front left pin location was devilish for us mere mortals. Any overpowered mistake could have left her short-sided and in thick rough. Too light, and she risked the water guarding the front of the green.

Instead, Victoria put a low, spinning chip up the hill, rolling it across 40 feet of perfectly-trimmed grass to six inches. The gallery gave a large cheer for her, and she saved her par.

Sadly, I have to report that Victoria did not make the cut to play on the weekend. On Day 1, most low scores came in the morning. On Day 2, with things cooling off slightly, Dewi Weber fired off a 62, and the cutline moved farther away from our pro.

Still, I'm proud to have watched Victoria during this momentus occasion in her life. She played her heart out, and finished +2 for the week.

My takeaway was that, with time, she will succeed. Victoria belongs on the tour — she has the willpower, work ethic, and mental fortitude for it. And did I mention she can outdrive me?

I had an wonderful time walking the course for those two days with her family and friends, meeting them, and getting to be a part of their lives. I got to host Victoria and her family at HQ the following Sunday, and all signs point to a bright future.

Congrats to you, Victoria. Keep doing your thing.

Oh, and keep a look out for some Victoria Gailey signature markers later this year.