TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Wake-Up Call: Latanna Stone already making Brandon proud

Staff photo by JOEY JOHNSTON

Latanna Stone has already won 80 golf tournaments, and she's just turning 8 years old.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 2, 2009

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Latanna Stone, who is celebrating her eighth birthday this week, has big plans for Saturday night. Her family has rented a limousine, which will transport them and her friends to a St. Petersburg restaurant, a private room for some high-end dining and fun. She may even get her nails done.

"These are the best times of my life," she said, flashy a toothy grin.

It's easy to smile at the innocence of that statement, knowing that there's still a great big world awaiting an 8-year-old. Who knows where it will lead?

But these are amazing times for Brandon's Latanna Stone and her family. And their story has just begun.

Last month, Stone won the U.S. Kids Junior Golf World Championship in the girls 7-and-under division at Pinehurst, N.C.

She shot 32-34-35-101 - three rounds of nine holes - beating the runner-up by eight strokes.

Earlier this year, at the season's first U.S. Kids "major" event in San Diego, Stone finished second.

She's just turning 8.

Off the tee, her drives already top out at 180 yards.

Already, she has won 80 junior tournaments.

Already, she's a world champion.

Stone got her start at about 2 years old, after watching her father, Michael, swing a golf club. She begged to do it, too. Her swing was so beautiful her father immediately sensed natural talent. That was confirmed after taking her to a golf professional - actually, first finding one who agreed to "analyze" the potential of a 2-year-old.

"Most people think - I guess understandably so - that a 2-year-old might hit a ball or two, then they'll want to go pull the clothes down from racks in the pro shop," Stone's father said. "Latanna is different. Ever since she started playing, she has focus. Golf is what she wants to do.

"We are not pushing her into this. But she's such a competitor and she has a gift for it. All the golf people we have met say she's going to be great in this game. Who can tell where it's going to lead? But we want to give her every opportunity to succeed."

That means sacrifice.

For parents Michael, a service technician, and Yuen, a hair stylist, it's strategically planned vacations, flexibility and no opportunity for other investments.

Stone regularly trains at River Hills Country Club and has frequent sessions with her coach, Charlotta Sorenstam (Annika's sister), in Orlando. For the first time, she is being home-schooled by her mother, working at the third-grade level, and structuring academics around her golf schedule.

"We're focusing on the short-term goals right now, having fun, showing improvement and doing well in the junior tournaments," said Michael, who said her daughter wants to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open when she is 11 or 12. "You can't push your child. It has to be what they want to do.

"If you take them out for six hours of practice every day, that's crazy. We go about an hour and then Latanna goes swimming. But really, she wants to play more. Golf is what she wants to do. You have to find what your child is good in and what they are passionate about. For Latanna, it's golf all the way."

Stone's hard work and dedication paid off at Pinehurst.

She took a two-stroke lead into the final round. When emotions ran high, she calmed herself down with advice she heard from a former coach.

"If you hit a bad shot, you just look at a tree, a branch and focus on just that," she said. "After five seconds, you forget about it all. The bad shot is gone and now you focus on hitting a good shot."

Stone used that strategy to perfection at Pinehurst. Without a scoreboard or knowledge of the standings - typical of a U.S. Kids tournament - Stone didn't know she had won the world championship until her birdie putt on the final hole.

With that, she jumped into the arms of her father, serving as her caddy.

"It was the best moment I've had in golf," Stone said. "I'm so, so happy at that moment! Then I heard 'click … click … click' and I'm thinking, 'What is that?' "

It was a photographer capturing the moment. The embrace between daughter and father was captured in Golf World Magazine. It solidified her introduction on the international stage.

"We have some people watching us at tournaments, and we're not sure who they are," Michael Stone said. "Obviously, Latanna is on the map now and people are following her progress. As for the future, potential sponsors and things like that, we're not sure how it's going to play out.

"We want to go at Latanna's pace. Right now, she's continually improving and really enjoying herself. We want to see that continue."

It will definitely continue on Saturday, when Stone gets her limo ride and birthday celebration, a product of the realization that she has come of age a lot earlier than anyone might have reasonably expected.

On second thought

Monday, when the Bucs released wide receiver Dexter Jackson, a second-round pick in 2008, it sent franchise historians scrambling for perspective on where it fit among Tampa Bay's all-time draft busts.

The first-round flops have been widely documented - Bo Jackson, Broderick Thomas, Keith McCants, Charles McRae, Eric Curry, et al - but it turns out the Bucs probably have fared better in the second round. Jackson, though, already ranks among the most critical second-round mistakes.

Best Second-Round Picks

1. RB James Wilder (1981) - What can you say? Still the franchise's all-time leading rusher (5,957 yards) and all-time leading receiver (430 catches).

2. RB Mike Alstott (1996) - Rushed for 5,088 career yards and scored 71 overall touchdowns.

3. WR Kevin House (1980) - Had 286 receptions and 31 touchdowns in seven seasons.

4. RB Errict Rhett (1994) - Back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to open career.

5. LB Barrett Ruud (2005) - Positioned as the new defensive cornerstone.

Worst Second-Round Picks

1. DE Booker Reese (1982) - Bucs traded a future first-round pick - which became Pro Bowl OT Jimbo Covert (Bears) - to reach for Reese.

2. WR Dexter Jackson (2008) - Supposed to become the answer in the return game; instead it was free-agent Clifton Smith, who made the Pro Bowl.

3. WR Danny Peebles (1989) - Speed to burn, but it never translated into games.

4. OL Brett Moritz (1978) - Six games, no starts.

5. LB Demetrius DuBose (1993) - Square peg, round hole.

Wilson promoted to Angels

Catcher Bobby Wilson (Seminole), who batted .271 with eight home runs and 55 RBIs for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees this season, was called up Tuesday to the Los Angeles Angels.

Garcia ready for Gamecocks

University of South Carolina sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia (Jefferson) will have the spotlight Thursday night when he starts for the Gamecocks against North Carolina State on ESPN.

Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said he's going to give Garcia a long rope - promising "no quick yank or no quick pull" - instead of looking for the backup at the first sign of trouble.

With Spurrier not supplying any controversy, it was left for N.C. State defensive end Willie Young to provide bulletin-board commentary.

"Until he hurts us, I'm not worried about him," Young told the Raleigh News & Observer. "It's as simple as that. Until he starts to hurt us, he can sit back there and juke and jive all he wants to. But until he hurts us, he has no effect on my pass rush or anything I intend to do."

Sanders named starter at West Virginia

West Virginia receiver Jock Sanders (St. Petersburg Catholic), who was suspended and banned from all team activities after a February DUI arrest, will start Saturday's opener against Liberty University.

"I've thought about this a long, long time," Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart said on Tuesday. "I've taken that young man to the woodshed so often, as my daddy used to take me. … But he's been through the grinder and done everything we've asked him to do."

True freshman update

Two of Hillsborough County's premier prep football players last season figure to immediately play prominent roles in the SEC.

Jarvis Giles (Gaither) is the backup tailback at South Carolina. Orson Mobley (Plant) is the backup tight end at Georgia.

FSL establishes Hall of Fame

The Florida State League has established a Hall of Fame, and its first class will be inducted Nov. 9 at Daytona Beach.

Tampa baseball legend Al Lopez (1924-25 Tampa Smokers), who died in 2005, will be inducted posthumously.

Other inductees:

• Mike Moore, former general manager of the Tampa Tarpons and president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.

• Johnny Bench, 1965 Tampa Tarpons.

• Rod Carew, 1965 Orlando Twins.

• Gary Carter, 1972 West Palm Beach Expos.

• Rollie Fingers, 1965 Leesburg Athletics.

• Catfish Hunter, 1964 Daytona Islanders.

• Ferguson Jenkins, 1962-63 Miami Marlins.

• Eddie Murray, 1974 Miami Orioles.

• Stan Musial, 1940 Daytona Islanders.

• Jim Palmer, 1967-68 Miami Marlins.

• Cal Ripken Jr., 1979 Miami Orioles.

• Nolan Ryan, 1967 Winter Haven Mets.

• Joe Tinker, 1921 Orlando Tigers.

• Early Wynn, 1937 Sanford Lookouts.

The FSL also voted to induct former Vero Beach manager Stan Wasiak (1983-86) and former Lakeland manager John Lipon (1988-92).

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to Ernest Givins, the former Lakewood High School standout who played 10 seasons as an NFL wide receiver, where he invented the "electric glide" touchdown celebration dance. The two-time Pro Bowler had 571 career receptions for 8,215 yards and 49 touchdowns with the Houston Oilers (1986-94) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1995). Thursday, Givins turns 45.

The Answer Man

Two former Hillsborough High School football stars played in the Super Bowl - linebacker Steve Kiner played for the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V and defensive back J.R. Reed played for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Wednesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

When the University of Florida last lost a season-opening football game, who was the opponent?

Check for the answer in Thursday's Wake-Up Call.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT