FRENCH LICK, Ind. (WDRB) -- Trevor Sluman took advantage of an off-week in his schedule to caddy for his fiancee Laura Restrepo this week. She is competing in the French Lick Charity Classic at the Pete Dye Course, just up the road from where their journey together first began, on the men's and women's golf teams at the University of Louisville.
"We met at the University of Louisville, not too far from here," Restrepo said. "We had a great experience there. We love that city, and being close by and being able to come back brings back all the good memories."
"That was my junior year, her sophomore year," Sluman added about when they first started dating. "So about nine years, and we just got engaged in April and we're looking forward to the next step."
The next step is getting married on Jan. 7 in Delray Beach, Florida. Getting all the details together has been a bit of a challenge.
It's hard to plan a wedding when you're always on the road. Sluman played most recently on the PGA Latinoamerica Tour and is signed up for the European Tour qualifying school in the fall. Restrepo is in her sixth year on the Epson Tour, one step below the LPGA.
They are often separated but very much in tune with what the other is experiencing.
"We know each other's lifestyles so well," said Sluman, the nephew of longtime PGA pro Jeff Sluman. "I'm on the road. She's on the road. There's no hard feelings of leaving each other or anything like that."
"Understanding is a big part of it. because this life is pretty different than the normal 8-to-5," Restrepo added. "So understanding that you have to travel, you might have to miss big events. You might not be there for a birthday. Like, we get it. We're so supportive of each other. We want to see each other succeed. So it works for us."
It also works when Sluman caddies for Restrepo, but maybe not the other way around.
"When he caddies for me, he helps me a lot," Restrepo said. "But when I caddy for him, I'm just there to carry the bag and stay out of the way."
She will need all of his help this week.
The French Lick Charity Classic is the biggest tournament on the Epson Tour, with the biggest prize money and best chance to move up in the season money list. Restrepo is currently just outside the top 30 that would advance to the LPGA tour. And she knows getting it done this week on this course is a major challenge.
"This is our first time at the Pete Dye Course, and it's just mind-blowing how beautiful this place is," Restrepo said. "It's such a great golf course. It's really hard so it's a good test. I'm so glad I have him (Trevor) here this week. You've got to play very smart and have a lot of strategy, so having him here is key for me."
"Hopefully, I can calm her down when trouble comes into play, because there's a lot of trouble out here," Sluman added.
The tournament runs through Sunday in French Lick.
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