Pickens High School’s Lauren Harkins signed Monday to play golf at Emmanuel College. Pictured, from left, are Brenda Harkins, Lauren Harkins, Evie Harkins and Donnie Harkins.

PICKENS — Pickens High School senior golfer Lauren Harkins signed on Monday to take her game to the next level at Emmanuel College.

Being able to earn a spot at Emmanuel was the culmination of many years of work for Harkins.

“I worked many hours on this, so I am very excited about it,” Harkins said.

Maybe the most attractive thing about going to Emmanuel is that Lauren’s sister, Brittany, is already on the team there.

“I saw the school from the inside out instead of the outside in,” she said. “I loved the interaction between the kids and the coach. It is Christian-oriented, and that is what I wanted.”

Harkins has loved her time at Pickens High School.

“I actually started playing in middle school, and I have always enjoyed it,” she said. “The girls and the coaches, they are family.”

“Lauren was a great player, and she worked hard every day, and that is what is going to make her an excellent college player,” Pickens girls’ golf coach Lynn Williams said. “She has great work ethic. She is always willing to go practice, and one day we had a match and it didn’t go the way she wanted it to, and she was on the driving range in the rain the next day.

“I just think Lauren is a great girl. She is kind and she treats her teammates well. She is just a wonderful person to be around.”