Hey everybody, we did it! The 42nd annually Chicago Junior Amateur had a one, two finish by two African-American young ladies. Last year Myah became the 1st young lady to become the overall champion. This year we have become the first young ladies to have a one, two overall finish in this tournament ever. Ill say its about time and move on to tell you about this great tournament for us.The front 9 for me was a lesson in staying focused on what Im doing. I began the day with a 3 shot lead over 2nd and a 7 shot lead over my sister, who was in 3rd place. The pressure of playing in the last group is always very difficult because as much as you try not to watch your other competitors, it seems to be the loudest sound in the world when you hear someone elses ball hitting the plastic at the bottom of the hole. Im a firm believer that only experience can teach someone how to overcome this. By the 4th hole Myah had moved into a tie for 2nd and I still had a 3 shot lead but my putter began to feel like someone had put lead weights on the end of it. I couldnt find the hole even if I would have had a GPS system. On top of all of this, I had to watch the guy that was in second place get emotional as his lead slipped away, and watch Myah play like shes trying to win the U.S. Open. On the 9th hole, I finally decided that I was going to refocus on my game because at this point Im plus 5, Myahs -2, and we are all tied up with 9 to play. We played even on 10. On the 11th hole, Myahs approach shot left 12 feet above the hole and gave her two big tablespoons of adversity and me a 1 shot lead that I would not give back again. Myah finished the tournament with a +2, 74 while I managed to find my way home with a +6, 78. This is the way juniors should play golf, not for the trophy (which is nice, dont get me wrong), but for the valuable learning lessons they provide. After I remembered why I was there, I got control of my game. If all competitors and their parents would remember this is why we are playing, I think all junior sports would be a lot more fun and rewarding for everyone!
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:52:46 +0000
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