All-American Karen Dennison plays with the pros

Junior All-American Karen Dennison entered the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic as the only amateur in a field of 144 golfers and one of two who had earned a sponsor's exemption. Thirty-six holes later, Dennison couldn't make the cut with a 6-over-par 78. Overall, Dennison carded a 153 and missed the cut by eight strokes.\nHampered by nerves, Dennison was already six strokes over par after only the first six holes, and she said she was disappointed with how she played in the tournament. \n"I'm obviously disappointed with how I played today," Dennison said in a press release. "My putting and chipping were not what they needed to be. I really had a chance to bring in a good round, but I couldn't get any putts to fall."\nAlong with Dennison's woes in early play came a few bright spots, as she birdied on the 11th hole. \nWhile Dennison was generally unhappy with her play, she said the experience she gained while going against pros will aid her during the rest of her golfing career. \n"Having gone through this tournament, I think I'm able to look at golf, both in shots and ways to score, in a different way than I have in the past," Dennison said. "You have to think quite a bit out there. I really feel like I learned a lot."\nDennison said her experience in the professional ranks also taught her that golf at the next level is more about the mental aspect rather than simple strength.\n"I really learned that I actually can hit the ball with the rest of the pros," Dennison said. "But the level of short game skill and mental toughness are really the difference. There were a lot of distractions this week that I was forced to block out"