Published 2004-04-14T00:00:00Z”/>

Lee Gordon<br>Staff Writer

Four, two, five and 80 are numbers that mean a lot to golfer Traci Parkison.

These numbers show how many times her plans have changed and how her game is improving thanks to some stability.

Four is the number of schools Parkison has attended in the past four years. A whirlwind of transfers dropped the Oroville native at Chico State last year, and the junior is glad she chose to return to Butte County.

“I had spent four years away; I had to come home,” she said. “I knew this was where I was supposed to be.”

It all began her first year of college at Menlo College in Atherton. Parkison competed on the men’s golf team as well as the women’s tennis team, but found the Bay Area campus not to her liking.

“(Menlo) was a good experience, but it wasn’t the place for me,” she said.

Division I Sacramento State University offered her a full-ride athletic scholarship to play on the women’s golf team her sophomore year. With a chance to showcase her skills against tougher competition, Parkison made the move to the River City. She said differences with the coaching staff and the lack of a team atmosphere caused her to leave Sacramento State for another Sacramento school, American River College.

However, since she had already played golf in National Collegiate Athletic Association competition, she was ineligible to play golf at the junior college.

Two is the number of sports Parkison excelled in. Since she couldn’t play golf, Parkison decided to join the tennis team.

“I was really frustrated after Sac State,” she said. “At that time I didn’t miss golf. I took a step back to remember why I love the game.”

Five is the number of years Parkison has been in college. The business major is in her final year of eligibility for athletics, but she still has another year of school left. While six years to complete a degree might sound long to some, Parkison embraces the passed time with humor, calling herself the “old lady” on the team.

A self-proclaimed “big hitter,” Parkison said her strength is her ability to hit long drives. She also said her short game is getting better.

“This is the year I have been most content with,” she said. “Putting is the most improved aspect of my game.”

And it shows.

Eighty is the number Parkison shot under twice, indicating she is playing some of the best golf of her collegiate career. Although she has come in under 80 more than twice this season, she had never consecutively shot two rounds under 80 until the last weekend in March. At the Grand Canyon Women’s Invitational in Phoenix, Parkison shot a 78-79-157 and finished seven shots off the lead.

Although this is her last season of collegiate competition, Parkison said she will stay involved with the game. She is planning to try out for the PubLinks tournament.

Parkison said she never second-guesses herself on the course. That on-course philosophy has carried over to her life, as she is content with her decision to play for Chico. She said her teammates also deserve credit for making her stint in Chico so much fun.

“It makes the game so enjoyable when you play it with people you like,” she said. “This team is by far the best I have ever played on — and I’ve played on a few.”

<em>Lee Gordon can be reached at <a href= ‘mailto:[email protected]’>[email protected]</a></em>