University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Caterina Don
May 19, 2022 | Women's Golf, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Caterina Don has been both an All-American and All-American Scholar during her great Georgia career. The junior golfer from Pinerolo, Italy, has always worked as hard in the classroom as she has on the course and driving range.
On the course, Don has three top-10 finishes this season in 11 events, 12 rounds of par or better, and 88.3% of her rounds have counted toward the Bulldogs' score. In 20 rounds this spring, she's shot par or better eight times.
Don and the Bulldogs are in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the NCAA Championships, which begin Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club. While waiting with the team for their flight west on Tuesday, Don sat down for a Quick Chat over the phone. She talked about only focusing on golf right now, majoring in Mathematics, the perils of traveling with golf clubs, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What does it feel to be done with school for a little while and you only have the golf postseason to pay attention to right now? Is there a different feeling to this time of year?
Don: There definitely is. You don't feel rushed and you can focus everything on golf, and when you go back to the hotel you can just relax knowing that you don't have to turn in assignments or study for tests that are coming up. It's much better.
Frierson: Do you feel like you play better because of that?
Don: I don't know, but definitely it helps your mind to be more relaxed and into the game.
Frierson: You're obviously a really good student — have you always done well in school and do you take a lot of pride in excelling in the classroom?
Don: My family's always been pretty strict on grades and my brother was a really good student, so I always took after him and I wanted to have better grades than he did. I'm trying to keep up with what he did and get good grades.
Frierson: When do something you rarely do, make a B in a class, does that feel like making a bogey on a hole to you?
Don: I've come the realization that the classes I'm taking now, most of the students don't make As — there are probably one or two people in there that make As — so I'm fine with a B.
Frierson: What drew you to majoring in Mathematics?
Don: I think I really like numbers and I really like the idea of solving problems. I could sit there and solve problems and not realize how much time it takes me, while writing a paper is painful, so I really want to avoid writing papers. I like the challenge that some of the problems give you and put you through.
Frierson: Does that relate to golf in some way?
Don: Most definitely. I feel like my major teaches you how to adapt and solve situations differently because there's not always the same strategy you need to follow. That definitely goes back to golf and life, too.
Frierson: What is it like to travel as a golfer? You can't take your clubs with you on the plane so you're putting these very important and very expensive items in someone else's hands and trusting that they will get where you need to go.
Don: We show up to the airport with 15-20 bags (equipment and clothing) — we have our big bag and our big golf travel bag — and we ship everything and hope we get there with the bags.
Frierson: Do you have any horror stories of your clubs not arriving at your destination?
Don: Actually, knock on wood, I don't remember. I think they lost my golf bag once and then they found it again, but it was when I was flying home. Hopefully they all go straight to Arizona.
Frierson: Because you all travel so much, are you an expert packer?
Don: I think I still overpack a little, just because I don't know what's going to happen, but yeah, my packing abilities and skills have definitely improved over the years. Now it takes me probably 5 minutes to pack my bag.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Caterina Don has been both an All-American and All-American Scholar during her great Georgia career. The junior golfer from Pinerolo, Italy, has always worked as hard in the classroom as she has on the course and driving range.
On the course, Don has three top-10 finishes this season in 11 events, 12 rounds of par or better, and 88.3% of her rounds have counted toward the Bulldogs' score. In 20 rounds this spring, she's shot par or better eight times.
Don and the Bulldogs are in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the NCAA Championships, which begin Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club. While waiting with the team for their flight west on Tuesday, Don sat down for a Quick Chat over the phone. She talked about only focusing on golf right now, majoring in Mathematics, the perils of traveling with golf clubs, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What does it feel to be done with school for a little while and you only have the golf postseason to pay attention to right now? Is there a different feeling to this time of year?
Don: There definitely is. You don't feel rushed and you can focus everything on golf, and when you go back to the hotel you can just relax knowing that you don't have to turn in assignments or study for tests that are coming up. It's much better.
Frierson: Do you feel like you play better because of that?
Don: I don't know, but definitely it helps your mind to be more relaxed and into the game.
Frierson: You're obviously a really good student — have you always done well in school and do you take a lot of pride in excelling in the classroom?
Don: My family's always been pretty strict on grades and my brother was a really good student, so I always took after him and I wanted to have better grades than he did. I'm trying to keep up with what he did and get good grades.
Frierson: When do something you rarely do, make a B in a class, does that feel like making a bogey on a hole to you?
Don: I've come the realization that the classes I'm taking now, most of the students don't make As — there are probably one or two people in there that make As — so I'm fine with a B.
Frierson: What drew you to majoring in Mathematics?
Don: I think I really like numbers and I really like the idea of solving problems. I could sit there and solve problems and not realize how much time it takes me, while writing a paper is painful, so I really want to avoid writing papers. I like the challenge that some of the problems give you and put you through.
Frierson: Does that relate to golf in some way?
Don: Most definitely. I feel like my major teaches you how to adapt and solve situations differently because there's not always the same strategy you need to follow. That definitely goes back to golf and life, too.
Frierson: What is it like to travel as a golfer? You can't take your clubs with you on the plane so you're putting these very important and very expensive items in someone else's hands and trusting that they will get where you need to go.
Don: We show up to the airport with 15-20 bags (equipment and clothing) — we have our big bag and our big golf travel bag — and we ship everything and hope we get there with the bags.
Frierson: Do you have any horror stories of your clubs not arriving at your destination?
Don: Actually, knock on wood, I don't remember. I think they lost my golf bag once and then they found it again, but it was when I was flying home. Hopefully they all go straight to Arizona.
Frierson: Because you all travel so much, are you an expert packer?
Don: I think I still overpack a little, just because I don't know what's going to happen, but yeah, my packing abilities and skills have definitely improved over the years. Now it takes me probably 5 minutes to pack my bag.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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