Former Rebel Finkelstein settling into life on LPGA Tour

Dana Finkelstein is simply a fable astatine UNLV. She near the Rebels successful 2015 arsenic the astir palmy golfer the women’s programme has seen, mounting caller standards for scoring, victories and finishing 2nd successful the Annika Award, fixed to the apical subordinate successful the country.

Success arsenic a pro hasn’t travel arsenic easily. But arsenic she wraps up her 4th play connected the LPGA Tour, Finkelstein has settled successful to the routine.

“It’s been a bully year,” Finkelstein said earlier this period from New Jersey, wherever she added her 4th top-20 decorativeness of the twelvemonth astatine the ShopRite LPGA Classic. “I consciousness truly bully astir my crippled and wherever everything is at.”

That effect successful New Jersey apt secured her playing privileges for 2022. She stands 95th connected the wealth database with 1 full-field lawsuit remaining, and a top-100 decorativeness volition get her into astir each tourney adjacent year.

It’s taken Finkelstein a small clip to settee into the nomadic beingness of a circuit player, but she feels she’s determination now.

“I’m overmuch much comfy with the question and demands,” she said. “I negociate my clip a batch better.”

She’s besides managing her nerves better. In 2017 and 2019, her archetypal years connected the LPGA Tour, Finkelstein admits to butterflies playing with the biggest stars successful golf.

“I was retired determination adjacent to my idols, and it made maine nervous,” she said. “Now I cognize I beryllium retired here.”

So does Amy Bush-Herzer, Finkelstein’s manager astatine UNLV and her biggest cheerleader. Bush-Herzer knew aboriginal connected that Finkelstein would go a palmy pro acknowledgment to her unmatched enactment ethic and her creativity to spot and deed shots others wouldn’t attempt.

“I knew aft her archetypal win,” Bush-Herzer said. “This bid wasn’t going to stop.”

Finkelstein said her occurrence successful assemblage successful immoderate ways has slowed her advancement arsenic a pro.

“In assemblage you’re trying to play good for your team,” she said. “In galore ways, you enactment yourself last.”

But arsenic a pro, it’s exclusively astir you, she said. Travel, practice, meals and everything other that’s taken attraction of by idiosyncratic other successful assemblage is present connected your shoulders.

“You person to look retired for yourself,” she said. “It tin beryllium stressful, but I’m enjoying it.”

Finkelstein is looking up to 2022 erstwhile she hopes to get into contention much often. And she’ll bash it with everyone successful the UNLV programme sending her support.

“Dana was a programme changer for us,” Bush-Herzer said, noting her occurrence has allowed UNLV to proceed to pull apical players from Finkelstein’s autochthonal Arizona to the program.

For Finkelstein’s part, she continues to travel UNLV and connection her support, adjacent from a distance. It’s the slightest she tin do, she said, considering however she is remembered astatine the school.

“I’m ever blessed to help,” she said. “It’s chill to person near a mark.”

Chip shots

— With 2 top-10 finishes to commencement his season, Collin Morikawa has moved up to No. 2 conscionable down Jon Rahm successful the Official World Golf Rankings. The Las Vegas nonmigratory jumped implicit Dustin Johnson this week, making him the highest-ranked American player.

— Three Las Vegas residents made it done second-stage qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour past week. Peter Kuest, Alex Kang and Kyler Dunkle were among the 109 players astatine 5 locations who volition determination connected to the Korn Ferry Q-School Finals Nov. 4-7 successful Savannah, Georgia.

— The Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation’s 15th yearly Las Vegas foundation play tourney is acceptable for Nov. 8 astatine SouthShore CC successful Henderson. The radical raises wealth chiefly for scholarships for children of fallen Marines oregon instrumentality enforcement. To registry oregon donate, interaction Mike Tobey astatine mrtees39@gmail.com.

Greg Robertson covers play for the Review-Journal. He tin beryllium reached astatine grobertson@reviewjournal.com.