With matching khaki pants and blue polo shirts, it's difficult to distinguish the Penn State golfers from one another -- with the exception of freshman Brianna Malcolmson.

Malcolmson wears outlandish accessories, like a headband with "Australia" in block letters, big sunglasses and blue streaks in her hair. It's a stark contrast from the rest of the team.

"She dresses crazy on the golf course, like an '80's golf instructor," senior Christin Pacacha said. "You don't see a lot of girl golfers with blue streaks in their hair."

This behavior is typical of Malcolmson, who her teammates call original and humorous. After all, her teammates find it hard to keep straight faces when she starts talking in her trademark Australian accent.

"She makes us laugh and does different stuff since she's from Australia," senior Sara Lester said. "We try to make her say words without an accent, such as air, and it sounds funny."

One thing that makes her different is that her hometown is halfway around the world in Murwillumbah, Australia.

It was at her local golf course that she discovered her passion for the sport.

Her dad enrolled her into a golf clinic for girls at the age of 9. After attending all of the lessons, she was the only girl left who wanted to continue playing golf. She continued to take lessons at the club and even engaged in a match against the club professional's daughter. Malcomson was 10 at the time, five years younger than her opponent, and still won.

"I was so excited," Malcolmson said, "it was the first time that I beat someone."

Since then, she has competed in a number of junior tournaments in Australia, including the New South Wales Junior Champion of Champions, which she won in 2006.

She decided to come to school in the United States because universities in Australia don't offer varsity sports to participate in. So, it would have been more difficult for her to play golf.

It wasn't hard for Malcolmson to adjust to life in the United States, but there are a few differences in the way that golf is played, including longer collegiate golf courses and who carries the golf bags in the U.S.

"You don't have to carry your bags in Australia," Malcolmson said, "they think that you're crazy if you do."

Malcolmson started in all five tournaments during the fall season and started in the first tournament of the spring season this year.

Her best collegiate finish came in the Nittany Lion Invitational in the fall where she placed 15th. Her goals for the spring season include earning a top-10 finish in a tournament and lowering her average of 80 to 76.

"We intended for her to play when she was recruited," Penn State coach Denise St. Pierre said. "We thought that she could break into the lineup right away, and that's what she's done."

Not only is she talented on the golf course, but she also is a talented soccer player, having played for four years in high school as sweeper. She even served as captain in her final two years.

She also is a talented musician who plays the acoustic guitar, and she used to dance ballet, jazz and contemporary, but stopped when she was 15 to focus more on golf.

But her aspirations for the future include, of course, becoming a pro golfer.

"She's really talented," Pacacha said. "She's got game."