Young duffer hits into big tourney
Young duffer hits into big tourney
By PETER PIETRANGELO
MARQUETTE — She said it wasn’t intimidating playing against a member of a reigning Upper Peninsula prep golf champion team.
So surely it wasn’t intimidating to go up against the best that Wisconsin had to offer.
It’s that confidence that propelled Marquette’s Carley Saint-Onge to a win in a qualifying tournament in Mosinee, Wis., for the Optimist International Golf Championships in Florida, despite being just 13 years old in a tournament with players up to 19 years of age.
“I look at the other golfers and they’re more experienced,” Saint-Onge said during a practice session with Marquette Golf Club pro Marc Gilmore. “They’re out there a lot more that I am.”
Not that it mattered, though it certainly came as a surprise to her when her 95 beat the best golfers Wisconsin had to offer.
“I thought I would be playing in state tournaments like the one in Midland,” Saint-Onge said. “I didn’t expect to qualify for an international tournament.”
Before going to the Mosinee qualifier, Saint-Onge earned a spot in a separate state competition at Manistique, where she beat Sam Creeden, who finished third individually at the U.P. Division 2 finals as part of the Manistique Emeralds D2 championship squad.
“I’ve never played in tournaments before,” Saint-Onge said. “I guess since I’ve been getting better I’ll start to play in more.”
Gilmore, who has seen many young golfers pass through the junior golf program since he came to Marquette Golf Club in 1983, said Saint-Onge is one of the most talented young girls to come through in a long time.
“Every 10 years or so you see somebody as good as Carley,” Gilmore said. “This is Carley’s decade. I think she’s just starting to figure out how good she is.”
Even with all the talent that Saint-Onge brings to the course, Gilmore was helping her Friday with what she considers one of her weak points — her short game.
“(At the Optimist), it’s a short course, about 4,800 yards,” Saint-Onge said. “I have to work on my short game so I don’t get in trouble.”
Until the Optimist tees off on July 20 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Saint-Onge plans on heading to the course four to five days a week, not necessarily playing rounds but working on all the specialty shots.
“I’ve got a whole month to practice — you can learn a lot in a month,” she said.
Gilmore said her biggest asset isn’t her long game (though that is strong), but the mental ability to compete is a sport that’s both physically and mentally demanding.
“She’s a competitive girl. She plays hockey and runs cross country,” Gilmore said. “That takes discipline.”
Saint-Onge credits her parents, Dave and Kris, for keeping her focused on the tournaments. But forgetting about the massive scale of the event is what makes her successful.
“If you think about it like it’s a big tournament then you get a little nervous,” she said. “If you think about it as an experience, it’s not as big of a deal.”
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