April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nOf course, when someone takes more than one minute to hit a shot, there has to be a deeper explanation, and that\u2019s the case for Shoemaker, a bright and personable 21-year-old who aspires to work in the national intelligence field someday. Right after the ANWA last year, Shoemaker felt unbearable pain while swinging. She was diagnosed with cubital tunnel syndrome, in which the ulnar nerve gets irritated or compressed at the inside of the elbow.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I\u2019d get to the top of my swing, I\u2019d get a shooting pain down my arm, and then in my ring and pinkie finger they\u2019d come up off my club,\u201d Shoemaker told Golf Digest this week. \u201cI lost motor control of them. I didn\u2019t have any function over them, which was scary. It was bleeding into my sleep and just sitting, which was kind of tough. Very scary for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rest and pressing on to try to play didn\u2019t help, and Shoemaker eventually had surgery last October that has freed her of the pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took a while after surgery to fully set in because my nerve was re-adjusting, but now I\u2019m 100 percent,\u201d said Shoemaker, who fired a 66 in the third round of the 2024 ANWA to finish second.<\/p>\n
The problem is that Shoemaker played long enough with that pain that she told Golf Channel\u2019s Brentley Romine recently that she is still enduring a \u201cmental battle\u201d when she readies to hit a shot. That was evident during the first round, because at times, when she took the club back, it appeared that Shoemaker would follow through with the shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust trying to reassure myself that there isn\u2019t pain anymore,\u201d Shoemaker said. \u201cI\u2019ve been struggling with it for the past four months, just being fully committed to hitting the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reached on the phone by Romine after her round, Shoemaker, sounding disappointed, said of her mental battle, \u201cThat\u2019s what it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Understand, slow play is not a career-long issue for Shoemaker. She is \u201cone of the fastest players I\u2019ve ever coached\u201d, USC head coach Justin Silverstein told Golf Channel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not easy what she\u2019s going through as far as being able to swing comfortably and confidently,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019s taking it back and her brain is still firing like it\u2019s going to hurt, and that\u2019s how she played all last spring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite dealing with that, Shoemaker has notched an impressive five top-10 college finishes during the American spring. At the ANWA she shot a one-over 73 to stand T-40 heading into the second round. The top 30 and ties will make the cut and play the final round at Augusta National on Saturday.<\/p>\n
There is every reason to believe that Shoemaker will eventually trust her body again. Already, the injury gave her a new view of what\u2019s important.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am just glad to be here right now,\u201d Shoemaker told Golf Digest. \u201cI have a new perspective on the game for sure, knowing what can happen if I don\u2019t end up playing and it\u2019s taken away from me. I love this game.\u201d<\/p>\n