When Kate Johnston isn’t busy pursuing her business or fitting clubs for Golf Town at our store in Kitchener, Ont., she’s battling the top amateurs in the world.

Johnston, a fourth-year student at UBC studying business, contested the U.S. Amateur this week in Mississippi. While she didn’t make the match play portion of the event, Johnston said the experience was incredible nonetheless, and all of us at Golf Town are proud of her.

“Everything is tougher—the course, the competition,” she said from Old Waverly Golf Club, where the tournament was contested. “To make the match play takes two solid rounds of golf on a course that’s a lot more difficult than I usually play. I’m just really enjoying the experience of playing in such an elite group.”

Johnston, who plays Titleist AP2 irons and a TS3 driver, was a late bloomer to the game. She started playing at the age of 15, and didn’t get a lot of notice by U.S. colleges prior to enrolling at UBC. Once she arrived in British Columbia, she continued to improve. This year she’s had strong showings at both the Ontario Amateur and the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship.

While she battles at top amateur tournaments, Johnston has also worked at Golf Town in Kitchener, most recently working in club sales and fitting. Johnston, from Ayr, Ont., started working at the store her final year of secondary school, and continues to work summers, and holidays when she’s back home from university.

“Predominately I do fittings these days, and club sales,” she says. “It has been a great experience. I get to talk about what I love.”

What’s next for the Golf Town employee? Law school is in the plans, but not until she finds out whether professional golf might be a possibility. That means taking a year to pursue her dream, then heading back to school if that doesn’t work out.

But for now, she’s just riding high on the opportunity to play in the U.S. Am, which demonstrated to her that she continues to improve.

“I’m not playing my best golf yet,” she says.