Clear Creek Amana Sophomore Lee Keeps Smiling, Claims Medalist Honors at Solon Invitational
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
SOLON – Every golfer has had the sinking feeling that comes with seeing a great round slip away.
Clear Creek Amana sophomore Brooklyn Lee had that feeling on the back nine Tuesday afternoon at the Solon Spartan Invitational.
After opening with a stellar two-under-par 34 on the front nine Lee felt an all-time round unraveling four holes into the back nine.
“Honestly,” Lee said before slowing exhaling. “I thought it was going downhill.”
So, how do you reverse a round going in the wrong direction?
For Lee the remedy was simple.
You smile.
“I just kept smiling,” Lee said. “I was telling myself I am going to birdie the next hole and I just kept smiling through it. I just kept smiling.”
Lee bounced back from a pair of double bogeys on the back nine to card an even-par 72 on her way to medalist honors on a breezy afternoon at Saddleback Ridge Golf Course in Solon.
Lee was razor sharp early posting three birdies and one bogey while carding a two-under 34 on the front nine.
Following a bogey on the par-four 10th Lee had double bogeys on two of the next three holes to go from two under par to three over in a span of four holes.
“I started the back nine with a bogey and a double bogey and I had another double bogey and I thought I was done,” Lee said. “But I came around.”
Lee kept a smile on her face and got a boost when she chipped in for eagle on the 418-yard par-five 15th.
She followed with pars on the 16th and 18th and a birdie on the par-three 17th to shoot a 38 on the back nine.
The 72 was a career-best for Lee who finished five strokes in front of runner-up medalist Sydney Dee of Solon.
“My big goal was shooting par,” Lee said. “I honestly thought I was going to shoot under but I am so happy with shooting par with two double bogeys.”
The individual title from Lee helped Clear Creek Amana to a runner-up team finish with a 341, one stroke behind team champion Williamsburg.
Senior Meg Berkland shot an 82 that included a 39 on the front nine to place sixth for the Clippers.
“I think I played pretty well,” Berkland said. “My long game was good, my short game could have been a little better but I was happy with how I played.”
Led by the runner-up finish from Dee host Solon finished fourth with a 346, two strokes behind West Delaware.
West Branch was sixth with a 403 and Regina was eighth with a 518.
Dee shot a one-over-par 37 on the front nine and closed with a 40 to set an 18-hole school record with a 77.
“I didn’t know if I was going to break 80 at all this year,” Dee said. “That was one of my goals, to break 80 but I thought I would break 40 first and I did them both today.”
Dee had all three of her birdies on the front nine on Tuesday.
“I was hitting a lot of greens in regulation and that is something that I had been struggling with in previous meets,” Dee said. “I think it helped I was on my home course and I knew where to hit and how to hit those greens.”
West Branch’s Claire Jarrett shot an 82 to finish seventh.
Solon Spartan Invite
Team scores – 1. Williamsburg 340; 2. Clear Creek Amana 341; 3. West Delaware 344; 4. Solon 346; 5. Benton Community 362; 6. West Branch 403; 7. Washington 409; 8. Regina 518
Individual leaders – 1. Brooklyn Lee (CCA) 34-38 – 72; 2. Sydney Dee (SOL) 37-40 – 77; 3. Halle Sobaski (BC) 44-36 – 80; 4. Jaisel Bott (WIL) 41-40 – 81; 5. Emma Hogan (WD) 41-40 – 81; 6. Meg Berkland (CCA) 39-43 – 82; 7. Claire Jarrett (WB) 41-41 – 82; 8. Maylin Coates (WD) 40-44 – 84; 9. Mallory Jones (WIL) 38-47 – 85; 10. Rubianne Allison (WIL) 44-42 – 86
Clear Creek Amana (341) – Brooklyn Lee 34-38 – 72; Meg Berkland 39-43 – 82; Alexa Moran 43-46 – 89; Hannah Grabin 47-51 – 98; Elise Berry 47-56 – 103; Isabelle Mooney 50-54 – 104
Solon (346) – Sydney Dee 37-40 – 77; Rylie Greazel 42-44 – 86 Izzy Frees 43-46 – 89; Mya Miller 48-46 – 94; Peyton Pentico 44-53 – 97; Jaya Farlinger 47-51 – 98;
West Branch (403) – Claire Jarrett 41-41 – 82; McKenna Worrell 50-50 – 100; Olivia Thomas 49-53 – 102; Joelle Haas 61-58 – 119; Adelyn Hetrick 65-58 – 123
Regina (518) – Mel Kirk 57-61 – 118; Beth Poe 64-61 – 125; Sophie Wiltgen 65-71 – 136; Nora Wilhelm 73-66 – 139
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