JILL GOMRIC DALKE

GOLF

Born: February 6, 1978; Belleville, Illinois
Played For: University of Arizona (1997 – 2000); LPGA Tour

When Jill Gomric Dalke was young, she knew she liked sports. She grew up in a family with three older brothers and an older sister. The entire family loved sports, and they were highly competitive among themselves. Little did they know that the baby of the family would grow up to become a member of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.

At the age of five, Jill played tee ball. She loved the sport and hit the ball farther than the boys. Then one day when Jill was with her mother at a golf clinic, Jill was given three balls and a club and told to hit them. The teaching pro, Brian Maine, saw her hit the three balls and asked her if she ever golfed. Jill told Brian that it was the first time she ever hit golf balls. Maine told her mother that he wanted to teach Jill. It was a day that would change her life.

As she grew older, Jill excelled at softball and basketball. When she was in 7^th and 8^th grades at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Belleville, she scored anywhere from 25–40 points per game. She thought basketball was her calling. In fact, she was named 2^nd Team All-State as a senior at Belleville (IL) Althoff High School.

When Jill was a freshman, Althoff did not have a girl’s golf team; however, that did not stop her from playing. She earned a spot on the boy’s team. The boys welcomed and accepted her on the team as an equal and encouraged her. Jill qualified for the State Tournament in her first year playing HS golf. Even though she did not play her best, her experience motivated her to get back to state. In her final three years of high school, she finished in the top 3 at the State Tournament, winning the title in 1994.

Jill credits her coaches, Brian Maine, “Truck” Kurowski, Dan Polites, and Randy Phillips for teaching and elevating her game.

During high school, Jill gained regional and national attention as a 2-time member of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Canon Cup Team. This tour would pit the best girls and boys from east of the Mississippi River against the best girls and boys from west of the river. At one tournament, she was an alternate shot partner with a boy. That boy was a young, 2-time Masters Champion by the name of Bubba Watson. In addition, she was twice named a Rolex Junior All-American.

After being recruited by several Division 1 and 2 colleges, Jill accepted a golf scholarship from the University of Arizona, a powerful Pac-10 team. She earned  All-American honors each year, including  First-Team in 1999. Also, she was also named a 2-time Academic All-American.

The 2000 season was special for Jill and the entire Arizona Wildcats team. They were billed as the best women’s collegiate golf team ever assembled. In the fall, they won all but one of their matches. In the spring season, they did not lose a single match. They rolled through each tournament, all of the way to the NCCA Women’s golf title. By the time her team graduated, Arizona had garnered three Pac-10 titles.

Jill earned a B.S. in Finance from Arizona. She spent some time in that field,  but she found herself wanting to test her skills at the professional golf level. She made the Futures Tour of the LPGA, and she spent a year playing Monday qualifying tournaments. Participants in those tournaments hope to play in that week’s LPGA event; Jill played in four. After years of traveling and the grind of Monday qualifying week after week,  she felt it was time to settle down and get married and start a family.

When she was a high school senior preparing for an AJGA tournament in Detroit, a young man who she secretly had a crush on, told Jill if she won the tournament, he would take her to dinner.  She won the tournament, and he kept his promise and took her to dinner. That young man was Brent Dalke. He would later become her husband and the father of their 4 children. Brent and Jill have 2 sons and 2 daughters: Bauer, Isabelle, Gabrielle, and Victor.

Jill earned a B.S. in Education and her Master’s Degree at McKendree College. She taught for five years at her alma mater, Althoff, and 16 years at Freeburg High School.  She taught Calculus, Trigonometry, Algebra 2, and Geometry.

She still golfs, but now it is all for fun. Once, she shot even par while eight months pregnant. The sibling rivalries from years ago are gone. Instead, the siblings ask Jill to be on their scramble teams.