SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Escondido's Haley Moore has accomplished some really impressive things on the golf course, now a rookie on the LPGA Tour.
However, off the course, the road to her professional career was not an easy one. As a child, the San Pasqual High School grad experienced bullying.
"There were times where I didn't want to go to school. It was so bad, and I didn't know if I even wanted to play golf anymore," Haley said.
But Haley had a dream, and she wouldn't let the bullies take that away from her.
"Don't let these people, who are commenting on you because of your body figure and shaming you, don't let them get in your way," she added.
She overcame the cruelty and scored major accomplishments on the course. In 2014 she was named the CIF Player of the Year, in 2018 she helped lead the University of Arizona to an NCAA Championship, and now she can call herself an LPGA professional
"I just really told myself that I wanted to be there one day. I knew it was going to take a lot of hard work. You just keep practicing what you want to do to get there, and it will eventually come together," said Haley.
While there were many days growing up that she was made fun of, golf was always there to get her through the tough times.
"I kind of told myself, hey mom hey dad, can you drive me to the driving range? I would just want to go hit some balls, and hitting balls, chipping, and putting really distracted me and even motivated me more," Haley said.
Haley says the memories of being bullied don't just go away. But what it has done has made her a stronger person. Her motto is to dream, believe, and achieve. And talk about achieving, for the first time ever, Haley has qualified for the LPGA U.S. Open in June.
"It's definitely a feeling of I'm just happy to be there. I've watched the U.S. Open's of the past, both men's and women's, and I know they always set it up to be challenging," Haley said.
