'It refreshed my mindset.' How coaching UC women's golf helped Marissa Steen's LPGA career
MADEIRA, Ohio − Marissa Steen remembers telling her college golf coach at the University of Memphis, Beth Harrelson, that she could never be on the other side of the bag as a coach.
Over a decade later, Steen credits coaching for rejuvenating her LPGA career.
"Sometimes you don't know what you need until you go through it," Steen said. "It's funny how things fall into place."
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Steen, a West Chester native, was named an assistant women's golf coach at the University of Cincinnati in Aug. 2022 after having her LPGA season cut short due to injury.
Coaching has given her the perspective to practice what she preaches.
"I learned a lot about myself and my game," she said. "You coach them enough times and it's like, 'yeah, I need to do what I'm telling them to do.' Kind of walk the walk when it comes to that. Sometimes getting in your own head and negative self-talk when you hit a bad shot, we all go through it.
"Sometimes they think I don't have those moments. We all have them. You have to learn how to pull yourself back up."
Steen has pulled herself up in a big way this season.
In 2022, she missed the cut on 10 of 12 events with her best finish coming at the U.S. Women's Open (tied for 34th). After a slow return this year, she's made the cut in six of the last nine events with three top 25 finishes: coming in 23rd at the Handa World Invitational in August, 24th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and 15th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June. She finishes the season's longest stretch of consecutive events this week at the Kroger Queen City Championship Presented by P&G at Kenwood Country Club.
"Coaching has really helped. It refreshed my mindset. I was forced to take a step back with my injury, but staying engaged with competitive, high-level golf as a coach kept me in that competitive mindset," Steen said.
There's no place like home
Steen has not played at Kenwood Country Club since its $5 million renovations a few years ago but was thrilled when plans were put in place to bring the LPGA back to Cincinnati.
"I heard rumblings there was going to be an event. I told my coach, 'Please be Kenwood,' " Steen said. "I just think this club is a great, classic club and one of the top clubs in Cincinnati."
Steen's Cincinnati stop started Wednesday by hitting balls at her home course, Hamilton Elks, followed by the Queen City Championship Pro Am event in a group that included Cincinnati Bengals Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz.
"It's awesome," she said. "This is the first time I've had a home game, and I turned professional in 2012. Last year I was so excited (for the inaugural Queen City Championship), then I was on medical exemption, and I was super bummed. It's very rare to have a tournament in your hometown."
Mastering the mental hurdles
Steen, a Lakota West graduate, was a three-time first-team all-conference selection and a member of the 2006 Firebirds squad that won a Division I state championship.
High school success was just one of the starting blocks on a long golf journey. In 2012, she joined the Symetra Tour (now called Epson Tour), the developmental golf tour of the LPGA. In two years, she was the Symetra Tour Player of the Year, but injuries as a rookie sent her back to the developmental tour. She regained her tour card in 2016, then two years later made just two starts on the LPGA circuit before a season-ending ankle injury.
Steen, ranked No. 324 in the Rolex Rankings and 111 in the CME Rankings, has been here to stay ever since, although it was harder than just playing golf.
"Out here it's a whole different animal. Everything is bigger. There are more tents, TV cameras, manufacturer reps, a club-fitting trailer − all of that stuff," Steen said. "I had to find my routine out here because there's a lot more peripheral stuff. It was another mental hump, plus you throw a couple of injuries on top of that. Just having that self-belief and knowing that I can play out here. Just like anything, you find your footing eventually."
Sometimes, Steen still has to pinch herself when it comes to playing professionally. If she could tell her high school self one piece of advice, it would be, "to trust yourself." It's something she'll keep in mind when she steps into the tee box for the first round of her hometown tournament before a quick turnaround Monday to coach UC in its season-opener at the Losantiville Country Club for the Jennifer Duke Invitational.
"I've taken golf way farther than I ever would've imagined," Steen said. "I love golf, I've worked hard at it to get where I am in my career. I'm just excited."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Marissa Steen balances LPGA career with coaching UC women's golf
