Families are known for having stories that become more humorous with each passing year.
Katie Tewell getting kicked out of Girl Scouts as a fourth-grader certainly qualifies.
Long before earning medalist honors at the 2002 girls state golf finals as a Center Grove senior, Tewell, now 36, married, and a mother living in Knoxville, Tennessee, recalls that she demonstrated no interest in wanting to “sit like a lady” and was told she could walk home.
She didn’t return.
It’s that same hint of stubbornness that worked in Tewell’s favor as she became one of the best girls high school golfers in the history of Johnson County. She was the No. 1 player for the Trojans her entire career (1999-2002), placing among the top 10 individuals at state all four seasons.
As a freshman, Tewell finished seventh in what was the final state championship hosted by Prestwick Country Club in Avon. The meet moved to The Legends the following year, with Tewell taking ninth there as a sophomore and second as a junior before shooting a 36-hole total of 146 to close her prep career with a three-stroke victory.
“I never gave up. There were times, let’s say my junior year, for example, when I lost by one shot at state. It forced me to come back stronger,” said Tewell, now known as Katie Brinker after marrying former Hauser High School sports standout Zach Brinker in 2011.
“First one there, last one to leave. Golf is something I was very passionate about, and I love to win.”
Brinker believes she was 4 when she began immersing herself into the sport.
In those days, the Tewell family residence was off the 11th fairway at Dye’s Walk Country Club in Greenwood. Golf was one of many ways young Katie could spend time with her father, Don, and eventually she evolved into quite the player herself.
Living on a golf course helped.
Even before entering high school, Brinker played for the Center Grove Middle School teams, but still found time to meet up with the Trojans varsity players and practice with them.
Brinker remains the only Johnson County girls player to finish as a state medalist or runner-up.
After graduating from Center Grove in 2003, Brinker played two seasons at the University of Louisville before transferring to Franklin College, where she was a three-time qualifier for the Division III national championships and two-time national player of the year.
And though the phrase “Playing through pain” isn’t normally associated with golf, Brinker excelled on the fairways and greens through various personal and physical setbacks. That included having to stop playing for a year after sustaining a severe back injury in an automobile accident.
“I haven’t felt my right leg since I was 15 years old,” Brinker said.
In 2019, Brinker was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which led to her having a full hysterectomy a couple months later. She’s currently employed as a data analyst for Builders First Source, a distributor of building materials and services to homebuilders.
Through it all, Brinker remains passionate about golf and plays to a 1 handicap. The couple’s son, Nolan, 7, inherited Katie and Zach’s love of the sport and is becoming a budding star in his own right.
“He is actually pretty darned good,” Katie said. “Nolan is so competitive, loves to win and is very athletic, so he’s a good combination of the two of us.”
Living a 40-minute drive west of the Great Smokey Mountains, the Brinkers like to hike the trails at Cades Cove and marvel at nature’s many wonders, whether the animals or a waterfall spotted only a short distance away.
It’s the type of tranquility a golfer like Brinker can appreciate.
“Looking back, golf kept me on the right track,” she said. “I made good grades, and it was a good foundation for the future. That focus affects all parts of my life.”
