By Ken Klavon, USGA

Edina, Minn. – A little more than 11 years ago, the plain-looking box arrived unannounced with no return label. It stood upright outside the front door.

Vanessa Brockett, a precocious 9-year-old African-American girl, was confused. So were her parents, Steve and Kathy. Inside sat a neatly-protected driver in all of its resplendent packaging. Steve Brockett figured the delivery guy had simply got tired of hauling it around and abandoned it.

No one in his family played golf, let alone knew where to find the nearest course. Little did they know but the driver foreshadowed things to come for the Brockett’s only child.

At the time, they were trying to incorporate activity into Vanessa’s life.

"It was very interesting," said the 50-year-old Kathy, a pediatrician, laughing Monday at Interlachen Country Club, site of this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. "Here my husband is 6-foot-5 and played basketball. I ran. And we apparently created this very clumsy and not very athletic child. What she did like was watching TV and we wanted her to do more than that.

"Vanessa tried a lot. She did horseback riding, ice skating, soccer and basketball."

To Brockett’s own insistence, even she admitted that sports didn’t naturally. Shortly after the driver arrived, an officer at AT&T, where Steve worked, suggested golf. This was too eerie. Or divine intervention.

"As you can see," said Steve referring to his soft-spoken yet overly polite daughter, "she’s not an aggressive type. In school they wanted her to play one of the big positions in basketball, but she wasn’t cut out for that."

With Vanessa’s 10th birthday vastly approaching, Steve happened upon a newspaper ad one day and ended up buying three sets of clubs for $300. He thought this game called golf could turn into a family activity.

Only his prepubescent daughter wasn’t exactly overjoyed.

"I thought he was crazy," said Brockett, now 21 and about to play in her first Women’s Open. "I didn’t want to go at 8 in the morning to play golf on my 10th birthday."

But she did.

"It felt easy," she added. "It didn’t seem that hard."

Probably because she’s a natural in the same way that a home-run hitter always connects effortlessly with the sweet part of the bat. It’s just something difficult to articulate.

Vanessa Brockett as seen during a practice round for the 2008 U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. on Monday, June 23, 2008. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)

The family headed to the Rancho Park driving range in West Los Angeles where they imbibed in 30-minute lessons with golf pro Steve Vilts.

"The first time she went, Steve said, ‘She’s got it,’" said Kathy. "I said, ‘She’s got what?’"

The proclivity to learn and the kind of repeatable swing that teaching pros can only hope to push upon their pupils.

Soon after, Vilts handed Brockett an application for a nine-hole L.A. City junior tournament at Roosevelt Golf Club. She was 11 and had no idea how to hit driver or her 3-wood. Instead, she "winged it." The two-day 124 total read on the scorecard like any other pedestrian tally, but how many of the other kids went through both rounds using nothing but irons?

The golf bug had burrowed in her like a tick. Golf became contagious. Brockett immersed herself in other junior events, competing in American Junior Golf Association tournaments and the Junior World in San Diego. She kibitzed with current LPGA Tour stalwarts Paula Creamer, Julieta Granada, Christina Kim and Morgan Pressel. So in many regards, she’s happy to see familiar faces again this week.

"They’re really good special," said Granada of the Brocketts. "They have nice values. I know she can boom it off the tee."

At 13, Brockett tried her hand at Women’s Open qualifying for the first time. It was also when she made her debut in a popular USGA television promo that focused on swinging like a girl. Her swing, which tied in to a jet engine used as a special effect, was featured prominently. "I had so much fun doing it," said Brockett. "I look at it now and see how much I’ve changed – for the better."

While moving through the junior ranks, Brockett won the Los Angeles Women’s Golf Championship at 15 against college-aged women. She won it again the following year. That’s when her dad caddied for her the first time. Besides the father-daughter relationship, he understood every nuance of her swing. He also served as a calming influence, which is why he’s on her bag again this week.

"She’s a visual golfer," said Steve, 52, a manager in network management for AT&T. "Vanessa’s always been, ‘Where do want me to hit it?’ and she does it."

Even though there was no girls team at the private Campbell High School, Brockett didn’t quit. She played on the boys’ squads until heading to UCLA. Her stint as a Bruin ended after one season. Brockett made no apologies, only saying that it was the first time she had competed on an all-girls team and that she enjoyed the coaches and teammates. It’s just that she vacillated more toward a capricious college life.

Leaving the squad after one season also could be attributable to burnout. Brockett had been playing since 10. From 2004 until 2006 she took a break. She had a baby boy, Aaron, who incidentally turned 18 months on Sunday.

Last year, gnawed at with pangs of missing the game, she returned with the hope of earning her LPGA Tour card . She began on the California Players Tour before capping the year off by advancing to the final round of LPGA Qualifying School in November, only to succumb to final-day pressure.

Qualifying for this Women’s Open has been redemptive for her in some ways. She’s rekindled the passion and now feels as though she has a path to follow. To her surprise, AT&T chairman Randall Stephenson sent his golf bag to Interlachen for her to use this week.

Although her dad calls her a role model for her African-American heritage – in fact, she’s the only African-American in the field – she eschews the race issue.

"Truthfully, I look at it as an honor," said Brockett. "But what got me here was my talent and ability. That’s where the focus should be."

Kim, a northern Californian who played against Brockett in junior events while growing up, felt the same.

"I don’t pay much mind to one’s background," said Kim. "To come out here and be in the field is a great feat in itself.

"I’m a minority myself (Asian-American) – not so much on the tour – but the golf ball can’t tell where you came from or what ethnicity you are."

Nor a driver. And if not for a solitary club lost in the mail, much like a bounding tumbleweed in the wind, who knows, Brockett might still be glued to the TV.

She sends a heartfelt thanks to whoever sent it, wherever you are.