By SCOTT MARTIN

Pat Brogden was about to hit a tee shot during a tournament. With a number of spectators present, she chose her club, lined up with the target, addressed the ball, took her stance, then made her normal swing.

"Everyone behind the tee ducked," says Brogden. It’s easy to understand the confusion: Brogden plays left handed with a ten finger right handed grip. "I basically use my softball bat grip and just apply it to golf."

Brogden, 47, spent her formative years in Goldsboro where she played numerous sports, concentrating on tennis, eventually earning a scholarship to Campbell University. After a strong collegiate career as a Camel, Brogden continued to work on her tennis and was ranked in the top 10 in North Carolina.

Burning out on sprinting to the net to chase the yellow ball, she turned to the big white ball and became a solid softball player for two years. Then, at age 29, after being pushed into it by a friend, she decided to try whacking the little white ball and caught the bug immediately.

"I never thought that golf was for me," she says. "I really had to be forced to play, but once I got out there and got into the game, I just loved it. And I still love it."

She’s never taken a lesson, partly because she’s never found a teacher who knows how to help a cross-handed left-hander.

"They watch me swing and really don’t know what to say," she adds.

Instead, she’s relied on raw athletic ability, drive, practice, plus the occasional glance at Ben Hogan’s book: Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

Brogden has become an accomplished amateur golfer. Most recently, she placed third in the N.C. Women’s Amateur held at Carmel Country Club, carding a superb 71 on the final day; the round included four birdies on the back nine.

Her golf resume includes wins in the Carolina Golf Association Women’s Four-ball, a cluster of top-10 finishes in the N.C. Women’s Amateur, a Triangle Women’s Championship, membership in the North Carolina team for the annual Carolinas/Virginias team matches, plus a runner-up and victory in the CGA’s Women’s match-play tournament. Last year, Brogden qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, reaching the match play rounds; she qualified again this year.

Due to her workload as a physical education teacher at Raleigh’s Carnage Middle School, Brogden rarely the finds the time to hone her game to championship level until the long summer break. She estimates that she splits her time equally between long and short game practice; she prefers to work on her game on the golf course, away from the range. She hasn’t modeled her swing after any one golfer (obviously) but strives to develop good tempo.

Although Brogden has developed a remarkably solid game with her grip, she tends to hit the ball a little low and has been working to develop more normal trajectory. If she hits shots with a touch of fade, she’s not worried.

"A draw becomes a hook too quickly," she says.

Several golf instructors and successful teaching professionals advocate a cross-handed putting grip and so Brogden is somewhat of a model citizen on the greens, although she hits all her chips, pitches, and sand shots with the cross-handed grip as well.

Johnny Scott, the head professional at Pine Hollow Golf Club in Clayton, has watched Brogden play for the past twelve years.

"Pat’s very competitive," he says. "She plays in a lot of women’s and men’s events. Everyone really enjoys seeing her hit the ball with her grip. She’ll get paired with some men who think they are pretty good; they won’t know who Pat is and then she’ll beat them. She’s just a very accomplished golfer."

Brogden’s career-low round is a 62. She once shot 65 with only a driver, 8 iron, pitching wedge and putter in her bag, proving that she successfully combines that odd grip with excellent touch, imagination and feel. Her golf goals are to continue to play the best golf she can, remain in the top 10 of the CGA rankings, and eventually win a state amateur title, something she admits might be difficult with all the good younger golfers playing so well.

"I’ve just got to get a little smarter," she says. "Course management is a strength in my game, but I can always get better at that."

But even if she never plays in another state or national tournament, Brogden will probably be happy: she’s a two-time cancer survivor. When she was 33, doctors diagnosed her with bladder cancer, a form of the disease usually found in older male smokers. After surgery and extensive (and harrowing) treatments, Brogden beat the bladder affliction only to discover that the cancer had invaded her lungs. This time, physicians told her she had a 30 per cent chance of continuing her life.

"I just put all I had into fighting it," she says. "Something that kept me going through it all was golf. I still wanted to play golf and become good at the game. My competitiveness also helped. Attitude is a big part of beating cancer and so I just decided not to let it beat me."

So Pat Brogden may not win all the tournaments she enters, but she summoned the strength and fortitude to beat her biggest opponent – twice. If you see her at a tournament or at the range, take a few moments to watch the unique swing and admire her courage. Just avoid standing behind her – you may think she’s about to pound a drive through your stomach.