Sophomore Ellie Johnson Takes on State Golf
Ellie Johnson follows through after teeing off during a match.
Sophomore Ellie Johnson has earned her way to the state golf tournament for the second year in a row. She has continued to shock the golf world with her impressive skills and accomplishments at a fairly young age. Last year, she placed 21st in state in class two (the biggest class) as only a freshman, and this year she planned to go even further.
On the first day of state, the intense winds caused problems for a lot of the players, including Johnson. She started off strong with a series of pars but then had a stretch of bogeys for about four holes. “My strong points yesterday were my drives and approach shots, and I was pretty disappointed that I had ruined my decent round,” said Johnson. She finished the day with an 85, which is not as strong as she usually shoots, in the high to low 70s.
On the second and final day of state, there were similar winds and frustrations for the participants. Johnson started off similar to the previous day with a stretch of pars and a few bogeys. She gained a lot of confidence with her putting and approach shots throughout the round. However, she finished with an 82, just two shots away from making the all-state team. Johnson ended the season placing 20th in state, which is one place higher than she got last year.
“I know that I can do way better than that, and although I was focused the whole time and tried my hardest on every shot, it taught me that every stroke counts. Golf is a very mental sport, and it is easy to waver from having a lot of confidence to having none at all. Overall, I was proud of my effort, but I know that I can do better and this will really push me to practice more,” said Johnson.
Regarding her golf career as a whole, Johnson has earned many achievements so far. She won Player of the Year for the Junior PGA in 2017, was the Metro League Champion in 2018, has made the all-district team two years in a row, and has won around 50 medals in her career.
A large part of Johnson’s current success can be attributed to the Westminster girl’s golf team as a whole. The encouraging and competitive environment they have created helps all of the players grow and succeed while glorifying God. “I’m so proud of all the girls on the golf team for pushing each other and having such a positive attitude, that’s what has made the season so great for me,” said Johnson.
After finishing her season this year, Johnson shared some words of wisdom with the rest of her team as well as future Wildcats on the golf team: “One piece of advice I would give to younger girls is to never give up and keep pushing through the good and the bad rounds. Golf requires a lot of patience, so you can’t dwell on one bad hole; you have to be able to forget about it and move on. Also, you must be willing to sacrifice a lot of time and energy if you want to separate yourself from the other players.”
