Clevis Murray, NBC Sports NW– “Former Oregon State golfer Ellie Slama joins Talkin' Beavers, discusses Portland Classic”

Oregon State women’s golfer Ellie Slama has left her mark on the Beavers program. A glance of her bio is enough for anyone to understand how special she is to the school.

All of her accomplishments since her freshman year are paragraphs long. That’s unusual for college athletes, but for her it became normal.

Now as an Oregon State graduate and current amateur, she joined the Talkin’ Beavers podcast to discuss golfing in Oregon and much more.

 [Listen to the Talkin' Beavers Podcast!]

One of the topics broached is becoming a pro and joining the LPGA.

“It’s definitely a tricky process to get there,” Slama said on going pro. “It’s one of my goals, one of my dreams. It's always been on my radar.”

As it stands, Slama is currently 97th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), with her highest positioning being 57th.

Slama is hopeful to compete in the Cambia Portland Classic in September, depending if she gains a sponsor exemption or is victorious in an upcoming qualifier. A tee time at the tournament will serve as a homecoming of sorts for her. In her last outing at the event, she finished 57th.

Reflecting on having played in the LPGA event before, Slama’s excitement could be felt in the tone of her voice. Although she was playing against professionals, that didn’t stop her from going out and competing. 

“Just the experience overall was something that I hadn't really had before,” she said. “Playing with all professional women at that level. It was pretty amazing. Just the experience was pretty incredible.”

One of the golfers that stood out to Slama was playing against current world No. 2, Jin Young Ko, which she described as “incredible.”

Slama last competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, in which she finished 85th. Overall, the former Beavers standout has two wins in 10 events this year -- Oregon Amateur Championship and Silverado Showdown -- and five top-20 finishes.