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Katie Leong is ready to prove herself in her final year on the Chico State women's golf team after missing half of last season because of a lung infection.
The senior, who was captain last year, started to have symptoms during the Wildcats' first spring tournament in Austin, Texas, in March.
"The day we flew in my side started to hurt," Leong said. "I went to the trainers, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, so I struggled through the first round and couldn't make it through the second."
The trainers in Texas thought Leong might have had a broken rib, so she spent the rest of the tournament wrapped up and watching from the side.
When Leong returned to California she found out that she had pleurisy.
Pleurisy is a chest pain caused by inflammation of the lining in the chest wall. The pain is usually caused by a viral infection in the lungs for which there is no treatment, so people have to wait it out and let their immune system do its job, said Dr. Jeff Thomas, chief of clinical medicine at the Student Health Center.
"Every time I coughed and every time I moved there would be a sharp pain down my side," Leong said. "It made it hard to practice or even sleep."
After Leong's departure the 'Cats struggled, finishing out of the top five in two of their next three tournaments. The Wildcats had finished no worse than second place in their first three events.
The team could have used Leong down the stretch, head coach Kathy Dais said.
"We struggled at the end of the season," Dais said. "Be it because of Leong or not, we obviously could have used her in those tournaments we struggled in."
Denise Canadas, one of last year's Chico State Scholar Athletes, stepped up during Leong's absence, which included a tournament win at the Grand Canyon Invitational in Palm Valley, Ariz.
Canadas didn't think she led the team, but now that Leong is back they can hopefully share the role, she said.
The Wildcats missed more than leadership with Leong's absence. She had eight top-five finishes, including three victories and her team-best 78.2 stroke average during her sophomore year when Chico State made it to the NCAA regionals.
Leong did come back for the final tournament of the season, the Chico State Invitational. But because she was still feeling the effects of the pleurisy, she had to play while taking Vicodin, she said.
During the offseason Leong eventually overcame her illness, but her swing was different because she was so used to practicing practicing while in pain, she said.
At the opening tournament this season, the Golf Mart Lady Otter Invitational in Monterey, Leong finished tied for ninth place and the 'Cats won the tournament for the second straight year. She shot a nine-over-par 79 in her first round and an 83 in her second round.
"I'm not as sure about my game as I was last year," Leong said. "Because I couldn't play as much my swing struggled, and I think that kind of affected me mentally."
Dais thinks Leong is close to getting her swing back and will soon be in the shape she was in before her illness.
"The confidence factor and knowing that you are OK is key," Dais said. "She is going to be worried about being sick in the back of her mind."
Though Leong's swing may have taken a hit because of the time off, her putting has improved because it was the only thing she could consistently practice, she said. Leong couldn't take full swings without pain, so putting was the only part of the game that she was able to work on.
"I just need to keep working," Leong said. "I have to realize that what happened, happened, and there is nothing I can do about it and because this is my last year I want to do good and hopefully get to nationals."
Ben Burg can be reached at bburg@theorion.com
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