HUNTINGTON -- When it came to academics, Brittany Adams did her share of cramming for assignments at Cabell Midland High School and then at Ohio State. For Adams, cramming right now concerns golf.
A year ago, the Huntington resident had limited preparations for the West Virginia Women's Amateur as her focus was on getting into medical school. The Ohio State graduate was accepted to Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and then won the State Amateur at Cress Creek Country Club in Shepherdstown.
Adams is getting ready for year two in med school. Starting date is Aug. 11. Before that, Adams defends her title in the 84th State Amateur scheduled Tuesday through Thursday on the Cobb Course at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, W.Va.
"I thought about not playing," Adams said before a practice session at Guyan Golf and Country Club, her home course. "I decided to give it one more try. I want to go out on top."
Because of school requirements, Adams said this will be her last for a while.
"I can always come back," she said.
Adams, 24, finished four shots ahead of Morgantown's Nicole Sawczyszyn last year to win her third State Amateur title. She also won in 2000 at The Raven Golf Club at Snowshoe and in 2005 at Glade Springs. She's also a four-time runner-up.
On July 14, Adams competed in a U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifier at Broadmoor Country Club in Indianapolis. She hit all 14 fairways that day.
"I go to see my weaknesses," Adams said. "It was all in the short game. It's touch."
One positive for Adams is she's familiar with the Cobb Course. She and her father, Freddie, played the Cobb in the Parent-Child Championship on July 19-20. The course features big greens, but length probably won't be near what she encountered at the U.S. Amateur qualifier or at Ohio State.
"It's all about the wedge and putter again," Adams said. "It really helps if you get dialed in. I've been there before. I confident in my situation. I believe I can do it."
In addition to Sawczyszyn, players to watch include Marshall's Larie Lynch, Kristina Garrett and Meredith Crislip, who just finished her career and is now a graduate assistant coach with the Thundering Herd.
Brooke Bellomy, a sophomore at Cabell Midland, is another challenger. She's coming off a win in the Girls 15-18 Division in the West Virginia Junior Amateur earlier this month at Pipestem Resort.
"They compete in college and that helps your game," Adams said. "Brooke's a good player. Playing makes your game sharper. We'll see what happens."
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