Tournament Highlights
Jan 11-14, 2024 | Leaderboard (new window)
Winner, AJGA Discover Puerto Rico Jr Championship at Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
So glad to finally get my first AJGA win after I'd been knocking on the door with five Top 5's (two of which were Runner-Ups), seven Top 10's, and five Top 15's. I finished at -2, shooting 71-74-69. Even though I was 2 strokes off the lead in R1, I felt pretty good because I had 5 birdies over 4 bogeys. I was not happy with my putting in R2 because I three-putted twice on the way to a +2 for the round and +1 overall. I was especially unhappy that I had shot myself out of the final group. So I had kind of a chip on my shoulder and something to prove.
In the final round, I was playing very well. I had a clean card -4 going into the tough Par 4 16th. There were lots of big numbers on that hole because just right of the green is lost ball and left is no picnic. Sure enough my approach went right and now I had to rehit the long approach into the wind again, found the green this time and two-putted for double. I was watching the leaderboard and knew now that I probably needed a birdie. So on the Par 3 17th I hit a good tee shot to 20 feet. I had a one-foot breaking putt and sank the birdie. I nearly birdied 18 and my tap-in par gave me a 69 for the round and a one stroke victory.
Some of my stats for the tournament:
Putts per GIR 1.79
Up and Downs 15/20 for 75%, includes 5/5 in the final round and 4/5 sandies overall
Fwy 78.57%
GIR 61.11% - not my best, but I still made the most birdies in the field at 12
July 24-25, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
T4 in a field of 73, I shot even par in the Illinois Women's Open at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville, IL.
Tribute to Mr. Jim McWethy, (deceased 2020) Owner and Visionary of Mistwood Golf Club
I had been wanting to play this tournament for the past two years and am glad that it finally fit my schedule. I love the course at Mistwood and the people. When I was 7 years-old I was privileged to meet Mr. McWethy while hitting balls at the Performance Center. Mr. McWethy also owns Mistwood Golf Dome, which is very near our house and where I started my lessons at age 5 and practiced during the winter. Anytime I was at the Course or the Dome and Mr. McWethy was there, he would always find a way to talk to me when he had a spare moment. He was very kind and the story of how we met really exemplifies how generous of spirit he was. He was one of those rare people who was far more accomplished than most, yet preferred lifting up others rather than bragging about himself.
The Performance Center looks out onto the driving range and right behind where you are hitting is the covered, open-air seating area with tables, chairs, and TV's. I was hitting there as I did in this video on my 7th birthday and my dad and I were playing a wedge game, where he counts the number of consecutive good wedges I hit. I think I got up to 26 that day. We noticed there were an unusually large number of people sitting behind us. Afterwards, we went inside and were eating a snack when Mr. McWethy approached us and asked Dad if I was his daughter. Mr. McWethy said, "Well, that was my employee meeting going on behind you. I had my back turned to you and I noticed that no one was looking at me. So then I just turned around and we all watched Lisa for several more minutes." He then told us he was trying to get his granddaughter into golf and hoped she could meet me sometime when we were at the Dome. I sometimes wonder if people like Mr. McWethy realize what a positive impact they have on so many people's lives.
As for the golf, I played well and got up and down from some ridiculous places to keep both rounds going. In the end I beat a lot of college players and all but one pro. My stats were good and I like looking at them with the Blue Golf. Although I am one of the shorter hitters in the field, I was solo 2nd in Par 5 scoring at -2, (6 pars against 2 birdies) and T1 in fewest bogeys.
July 17-22, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
74th of 121 in stroke play (78-74, +8, 6325 yds) and recipient of the Marion Miley Award in the Women's Western Amateur at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville, IL.
Finishing 74th in a large field wouldn't ordinarily be a highlight, except for the fact that the tournament, run by the Women's Western Golf Association, is one of the most well-run and well-organized tournaments you might ever get the privilege of competing in. Besides the incredible history of the tournament, which has been held since its inception in 1901, the WWGA also established the Women's Western Open in 1930, which ultimately led to the inception of the LPGA.
In 1920, the WWGA added the Women's Western Junior Am to its tournaments to give Juniors under 19 the chance to compete internationally at a high level. I was fortunate to be the Runner-Up in my first WWJr last year. This year I won the Marion Miley award for the lowest aggregate stroke play for girls who competed in both the WWJr and the WW Amateur. For that honor, my name will be etched in history with a gold charm added to the bracelet along with famous amateur golfers including some who have gone on to the LPGA. My name will also be on the Women's Western Junior Runner-Up trophy.
July 3-6, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
Runner-Up in the AJGA Coca-Cola at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, MI (Heather course).
I played some really solid golf, shooting 1-under each day, 71-71-71. I had 8 birdies against 5 bogeys and was 3-under the 5's, 1-under the 3's, and 1-over the 4's. My short game was on fire. I got up and down from everywhere and for 54 holes I missed only two putts from 10 feet and in and had no three-putts. I've done that before which validates all the hard work I've put in on my putting and short game.
I love the Coca-Cola tournament. It alternates between the Heather and Moor courses every year and this is my third year in it. Two years ago this was my first AJGA Open tournament and it was also on the Heather, which is the tougher of the two (last year on the Moor I finished 2nd). The picture left with me in the blue shirt is our final group in front of the tough 18th hole, less than driver off the tee and then 165-170 carry to a green that is wide but narrow with bunkers behind it. In the final round, I lagged my 60-footer to within 6 inches for a tap-in par!
June 27-29, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
5th of 78 in Stroke Play in the Women's Western Junior at Greenbriar Hills CC in Kirkwood, MO
I came into this tournament after having one of the worst ball-striking rounds in my life at the US Women's Am Qualifier the day before the WW Jr started. We had driven down a few days earlier to get a practice round in since I would not be able to play the traditional practice round the day before the tournament. On top of that, the Western Committee members were featuring me with stories and pictures since I was the overall Runner-Up last year, losing on the 19th hole to a 25-foot birdie putt with 6 feet of break. So I felt even more pressure on me to prove that I was worthy of the hype. They told me I had the option of tee times and asked if I wanted to be the first one off at 7:30. I said yes.
Greenbriar Hills is a beautiful, very difficult course with lots of elevation and a difficult layout with sloping fairways. There are only three Par 5's (one on the back) and par is a good score on the fives. Many of the fairways look wider than they are because on several holes half of the fairway is unusable. The 382 yard Par 4 fourth hole is brutal. You have to flirt with OB and/or the cart path right if you hope to keep the ball from running off the left into the rough, only to have a shot to a green that is about 30 feet above your head.
I shot a +4 over par 75 with two late bogeys down the stretch. Dad gave me a giant hug coming off of 18 and told me he could not be more proud of the way I played after what I went through the day before at the US Am Qualifier. By the end of the day as scores came in I was T14 in a very strong field of girls from all over the US, Canada, and Asia.
Only 16 would qualify for Match Play on Wednesday, but again Dad said he didn't care what happened. He told me that was the gutsiest round he had ever seen, and honestly, it was one of the best rounds I had ever played under the circumstances. The next day I shot an Even par 71, which turned out to be the second lowest round of the day. I had moved up to 5th place in Stroke Play. I lost my first match the next day, 3 & 2, but that's golf and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I learned one of the most valuable lessons in golf and in life: I will never let one bad round or one bad day define me.
June 12-15, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
AJGA Stacy Lewis Invitational at The Blessings GC, Fayetteville, AR
The Blessings is a private club that is also the home of the University of Arkansas golf team. It is without a doubt the hardest course to walk that I've ever played, and I've competed on many courses with elevation. You don't stay on one level for very long, not even on one hole many times. It is up and down all over the course. You can't use the driver on every hole and you definitely have to think your way around the course.
Though I played poorly on the front nine in the final round, I never give up. I ended the day feeling good that I came back to shoot one under on the back nine. I ended up finishing 14th of 28 in a very strong field.
June 7, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window - cdga.org in case they break their links again)
26th of 67 in the 2023 US Women's Open Qualifier, 73-76, Par 72, 6397 yards.
While this will never show up on any of the ranking systems, I am proud of myself for how I played in this event. Starting on the Back 9 in the morning and spotting the field 3-over for the first 3 holes, I fought back and shot -2 for the other 15 holes. That also meant +2 over the next 33 holes after the disastrous start. My +5 score over the two rounds put me ahead of many good college players. Although I am not a long hitter, I seem to do better relative to the field on longer courses, even though I am coming in with lumber instead of irons like others. Once my competitors miss their approach with an iron, I have the advantage with my short game. This was evident last year as well, when as a 13 year-old, I was Solo 4th and the Low Amateur Medalist at Stonebridge CC, firing a 3-over-par 71-76 (see below).
Mar 13-14, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
First time at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational at Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth, TX
Kathy Whitworth has the most wins (88) of any player in history, LPGA or PGA tours. Sadly, she passed away the day before the 2022 Christmas. I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but the members at Mira Vista said she was a remarkable lady who loved giving back to young players and kids.
Normally, shooting a 3-over 74 would not be a great score, but that only left me 2 back of the +1 leaders on a tight leaderboard. In the final round, my putting speed was not great and though I never 3-putted either day and made all of my comeback putts, nothing dropped in the final round except the 10-footer on 18 for par. One of the girls in our final round threesome was the two-time defending Champ, Bailey Shoemaker, a USC commit who is headed to her second ANWA.
My positive takeaway is that I finished T21 in the tough field of 72 (many of whom had played the event before) even though my ranking against the field was 37th. I beat 19 players ranked higher than me and only lost to 7 people ranked lower. I hope to return next year as I love getting a second look at courses and tournaments I have played before.
Feb 17-20, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
Great experience at the AJGA Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford
Mr. Tom Watson handed me the 3rd place overall trophy in the Girls 12-13 Division at the 2022 Augusta National Drive Chip and Putt Championship. It was my second time in the DCP at Augusta. Off to the left of the first tee at the Stanford is this plaque dedicated to Mr. Watson by his Stanford team alumni. Out of all of his accomplishments, and there are many, the thing that stands out to me about him being a 3-time NCAA All-American is the part in parentheses that he was "2nd Team." That might explain why he almost won the 2009 British Open at 59 years-old. There should be a picture of Tom Watson in the dictionary next to the word "perserverance."
Due to my schedule I only played one practice round and finished the last two holes in near darkness before teeing off the next morning. I found the 6203 yards to play longer than the 6500 at the US Girls Junior at Olde Stone. I shot 77-76-72 (par 71) +12 to finish T40 of 72. My ranking against the field before the tournament was 57th.
Feb 11-12, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
Runner-Up in the Florida Junior Tour LPGA Open (Girls 16-18) at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL
Finally got to play a tournament on my winter practice course and sleep in my own bed. The Arthur Hills course is the toughest of the two course at LPGA and I love playing it because it makes my short game better. The greens are not big and many are elevated or have trouble around them if your approach shot misses. The yardage was 5978 and the USGA Rating / Slope was 77.6 / 141. The 35 mph winds and some rain on Sunday didn't make it any easier. I finished solo 2nd in the field of 27, shooting a (+5) 73-76.
Jan 13-16, 2023 | Leaderboard (new window)
Runner-Up in the inagural event of the AJGA Butterfield Bermuda Championship
It's hard to believe a 6-over-par 77 (par 71) was the lowest final round, until you see the two Mom's in the picture left holding onto palm trees due to the 45-50 mph winds at the inaugural AJGA Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Club.
After very solid ball-striking and using every flighted down shot in the bag, my putter let me down and kept me from a win. However, I was still happy to come away with 2nd and get another Fully Exempt in my first AJGA event of the 2023 season.
May 28-30, 2022 | Leaderboard (new window)
Winner of the Golfweek Junior Tour Championship at the University of KY - Big Blue Course
I shot a clean card 68 in the first round, putting me one behind the leader and five ahead of third. I followed that up with 70-73 for 5-under par to win by two strokes and four ahead of third in the field of 41 players. I had 10 birdies against 5 bogeys.
