Early last October, the Georgia women’s golf team was riding high, ranked No. 4 and fresh off its latest tournament victory in which it broke the 54-hole tournament school record.

But that all came screeching to a halt with one word – homesick.

That was the word from All-SEC sophomore Krystle Caithness, who withdrew from the University and returned to her home in Scotland. Her departure left the team with a severe lack of depth with few scholarship players to field a starting lineup.

Little did the team know, its answer was actually on Georgia’s campus in second semester senior Melissa Brody, a former high school sports star, who hadn’t played competitive golf in more than three years.

“Krystle’s departure really left us with five players and with the fear of anyone ever being sick or injured, a friend of a friend told us about Melissa,” said women’s golf coach Kelley Hester. “He worked in the same law firm as Melissa’s dad, and he mentioned that you might want to check it out and he had Melissa e-mail me. We’re allowed a 14-day tryout period and we did that last semester, and we agreed that she would be a great addition, so we offered her a spot on the team.”

This wasn’t Brody’s first attempt to join the Lady Dogs, as she sent the exact same e-mail her sophomore year to former coach Todd McCorkle, who politely brushed her off with a “thanks, but no thanks” response.

“Well, I actually e-mailed the previous coach as a sophomore in the fall, expressing my interest, and he wasn’t interested in meeting with me so it didn’t work out,” Brody said. Hester admittedly was a bit skeptical at first, finding it hard to believe someone three years removed from competitive golf would be a good addition.

“Part of the danger adding someone mid-year is you never know how team chemistry will be affected and the truth of the matter is Melissa is one of those people that no one could ever say anything bad about,” Hester said.

Brody has proven her game fits in, posting a 10-over-par 82 in her first collegiate tournament last weekend at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, besting 16 other players and impressing her teammates in the process.

“I’ve been really, really surprised because she’s a senior, and I can’t imagine just one of my friends from a class just coming over and being on the golf team,” senior captain Mallory Hetzel said. “I mean, I know she played in high school and before college a little bit, but coming out here with little experience is really incredible.”

This match has worked well enough that Brody, who boasts a 4.0 GPA while double majoring in biology and ecology, has decided to extend her undergraduate career.

“I’m already extending my undergrad to December and possibly taking some graduate classes in the spring because I want to get the most out of this opportunity as I can,” she said.

And making the most of her opportunity is exactly what she has done, as Hester placed her in the starting lineup for the No. 8 ranked Lady Dogs as they play in the Bryan National Collegiate today through Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.

“I’m so pumped,” Brody said. “The day I found out I immediately called my dad, and I was freaking out and I couldn’t fall asleep that night. I just want to contribute to the team and do my best, and I’m not going to worry about what I shoot – I just want to have fun.”