Emma Talley with her parents who went across the country and world to support her golf career.
Dan Talley once told me his daughter, Emma, was 12 years old when she first told him she planned to play on the LPGA Tour — a dream that came true for the three-time Kentucky high school state champion when she earned her LPGA Tour card in 2018.
Her parents, Dan and Jennifer, went across the country and the world supporting her golf journey and created lasting memories for their daughter. However, there was one particular bit of advice from her mother that Emma Talley never forgot
“My mother always told me to be kind, be smart, be good and make a difference in some way every day,” Talley said. “I am not perfect but I definitely tried to do that every day and hopefully I made a difference to some people.
“The LPGA is a tough grind. I hope I made people smile. I had a lot of close friends out there and you have to help each other. I would love for that to be my legacy that I was friendly and kind and hope people remember that.”
Talley was gracious and kind not only to other tour players and officials but also to spectators and volunteers. It was not unusual to see her stop in a fairway to sign a golf ball for a young fan or thank a volunteer for being on the course making sure the tournament ran smoothly. After rounds she would often pose for pictures and sign autographs.
“I just did that because I loved people and those volunteers made the tournaments go. For me, talking to people and thanking them is just natural. Mom and dad preached that more than success on the golf course. They told me to open doors for a volunteer just like I would a company CEO. I never forgot that.”
That’s why it was no surprise she enjoyed her role as a volunteer coach for the Western Kentucky women’s golf team last year, a role she hopes to continue even though she’s expecting her first child in June.
“I still stay in contact with those girls and help them as much as I am allowed as a volunteer coach,” Talley said. “It was nice to mentor those girls for golf and for things outside of golf.”
The college golfers have to appreciate that opportunity. Talley won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2013 at age 19 and two years later became only the fifth player in history to win both the NCAA Championship and Women’s Amateur. (Rose Zhang became the sixth player to complete the double in 2022).
