Prior to the 2020 PA Junior, I set a goal for myself to finish 15-25th out of the 55 registered girls. I scrolled through the participants and I recognized a few of names from playing in Pittsburgh tours and even from playing at states. This was my first year playing in this event so I was excited to play a practice round, meet new people, and score well!
I took notes on the course during the practice round and focused on where the best landing areas were in the fairways and on the greens. The course was pretty open, had interesting architectural features, and had medium-paced greens. Later that night, I walked across the street from the hotel and chipped/ putted at a closed course for extra practice.
I was ready on Day 1 after a short warmup (times were restricted due to COVID-19). I started with a par on the first two holes, and I was thankful to meet my kind and impressive playing partners (one finished first in the tournament!) I had a great round and even with two doubles, I managed to shoot 76. I was most proud of my positive attitude and ability to refocus- I even made a birdie following one of the doubles. My score placed me T12 in the field; exceeding my goals! I knew I had to keep the same mindset for day 2 in order to maintain my achievements.
The second day was a lot of fun because I played with two girls that I had played with in the past. I hit many greens, but unfortunately my putts weren’t dropping. I had a good number of birdie putts under 15 feet that I never made- I only had two one putts throughout the day, and those were under 5 feet for par. I shot a 79 and I was a bit disappointed to move a bit back in the field to T14. Overall, I acknowledge that I exceeded my goal, played two great rounds, and I know what to work on for the future. It was a great first experience and I hope to play next year!
P.S. I earned 4 AJGA Performance Stars for placing in the top 15!
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