KU's Scholar Athlete

From Torrey Pines to Pebble Beach, She Can’t Beat the View

gypsie• School: Lexington Christian Academy
• Grade: 12
• Sports: Golf
• Academics: Gypsie has a 3.6 GPA, studied for a week in Oxford, England and volunteers at Southland Christian Church.
• Parents: Mindy & Bill

Gypsie Hutchinson of Lexington Christian Academy gazed from a tee box at famed Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego and marveled at the view of the endless sky, the vast Pacific Ocean and hang-gliders dancing on the clouds.

“It was awesome. You could see the whole coastline,” said Gypsie, who played in the Callaway Junior World Championship in 2014. “You could see God’s creation right there.”

Later this month, she will get an even better view of God’s handiwork when the 17-year-old senior plays in the Champion Tour’s pro-am event at Pebble Beach Golf Links, which runs along the Pacific off the central California coast.

Gypsie is representing the First Tee of Lexington and will be paired with a Champions Tour member.

Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach before the age of 18? That’s quite an accomplishment for Gypsie, who has played on the LCA varsity since sixth grade.

She is the two-time team MVP, and the three-time All A Regional champion. But there will be no high school golf this season for Gypsie, who has committed to play at Morehead State next year.

With other tournament commitments and the Pebble Beach trip, she would miss too much of the season.

“That wasn’t fair to the team,” she said. “I didn’t want to take someone else’s spot. Why not give someone else the opportunity to compete?”

Along with unselfishness, Gypsie is humble, a gracious competitor and refuses to let her life be defined by golf.

“No matter what happens, I always come off the course happy,” she said.

Said her father Bill: “She never lets a bad score or bad hole get her down.”

Bill taught Gypsie the game. He was the Arizona high school champion as a freshman and has made five aces.

Mindy, her mother, was a three-sport high school athlete and marvels at Gypsie’s calm.

“She is very even keel and level-headed. You can’t tell if she is five under par or 10 over,” Mindy said.

Gypsie also has a big heart. She has a 3.6 GPA and studied for a week with a school group in Oxford, England.

She is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta and Beta Clubs and volunteers at Bluegrass Christian Camp and Southland Christian Church’s Jesus Prom.

“She’s very generous, a real hugger,” Mindy said.

Wait till Gypsie gets her arms around the Central California coastline.

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