Several Aberdeen women had a solid opening rounds during the South Dakota Golf Association Women’s Mid-Amateur, Senior and Masters Championships at Lee Park on Saturday.
In the Masters division, Aberdeen’s Colette Quam sits second after a round of 79, one behind the leader, Cindy Olson of Sioux Falls.
“I had a really good first 14 holes,” Quam said. “I was very happy with that, but sad that I folded down the stretch.”
Quam talked about a decision she made down the stretch that she would like to have back.
“It’s hard. As I stood in front of a bad choice I made, I knew that maybe I should have just pitched out of trouble instead of going for a miracle,” Quam said. “So, I’m really beating myself up for that, and maybe that’s just a loss or lack of focus.”
Quam has come a long way in golf since she started around 40 years ago.
“I remember when I first started to play, I was pretty happy when I’d get the ball airborne,” Quam said. “I have a news clipping from my first tournament where I shot like 126 the first day.”
Quam continued playing because of how much she cared about the sport.
“I think it’s just love of the game,” Quam said. “I love it. I’ve played a lot of sports and I just love playing. I love competing. I love games.”
Quam’s love of sports also applies to pickleball. She said there are some similarities and differences in mindset when playing each sport.
“In a way, it’s the same,” Quam said. “I feel like pickleball can be the no-holds-barred sport, whereas in golf you have to be a little more methodical. But I feel like playing both is great, because it puts me in competitive situations where you have to be mentally tough, so I love the combination of both of them.”
As Quam heads into today’s final round, she knows what she needs to do to have a chance at winning her division.
“Make good choices,” Quam said. “That’s the biggest thing, because I made a couple of bad choices down the stretch.”
In the Mid-Amateur division, Mikayla Santjer Aberdeen is in second following a round of 80 as she tries to get used to a slightly different course than what she’s used to.
“I think it was OK,” Santjer said about her first-day performance. “I struggled a little bit short game-wise, like chipping and putting. But it can always be better.”
Santjer said there was a big difference playing the Lee Park course compared to Moccasin Creek Country Club.
“I’m used to playing out at Moccasin Creek,” Santjer said. “I’m used to the bounces I get from 150 yards out and the bounces were going a bit different than what I’m used to. So that was a little bit of a struggle.”
While playing a different course can take some time to adjust, Santjer’s game started to come around.
“I think the first few holes I played really well, so then when I started having those setbacks, it takes a few holes to be like, OK, you can’t play like you normally play at your home course,” Santjer said. “You kind of have to change up your yardages or land a little shorter.”
Santjer said the battle for her isn’t physical, but rather physiological.
“It’s mental for sure,” Santjer said. “It’s really easy to get down on yourself, or when you swing, think, oh, last hole I pulled it, so am I going to pull it again. So, it’s definitely mental.”
Going into today’s final round, Santjer is going to focus on keeping her mindset light.
“I think the mindset (Sunday) is to just go out there, have fun and don’t overthink it too much,” Santjer said. “But also remember that (the course) is bouncing a little bit differently than the home course, so I need to keep that in the back of my head, but not let it overtake my thoughts.”
Aberdeen’s Jackie Witlock is fifth in the Senior division following her round of 83, but she was not thrilled with her performance.
“I sucked,” Witlock joked. “I had a bad front nine. I started off really slow, hit some bad squirrely drives and it cost me some doubles. Then I turned the corner, made a birdie after that, and played a lot better on the back nine.”
Unlike Santjer, Witlock felt some pressure of playing on her home course.
“I think it was harder for me because, it’s my home course,” Witlock said. “I thought I should know this course. I should be able to do it and finally on hole six I just said relax, swing the club, let the club do the work, and then I started playing a lot better.”
Witlock has been playing at Lee Park regularly for 10 years and the course holds extra meaning than just being her home course.
“I actually met my husband on this course,” Witlock said. “We were members here, went out to Moccasin Creek, were members there, and now we came back here about 10 years ago.”
Witlock has been playing golf for 33 years, ever since she chose golf over softball.
“I was playing softball and I was a fast-pitch pitcher and I was tired of getting balls hit back at me,” Witlock said. “One of my other friends played softball and we decided we’d quit softball and play golf. It was the best move I ever made.”
One of the reasons Witlock enjoys golf is because of the relationships she’s built through the years.
“I just think the friendships that I’ve made on the golf course are amazing,” Witlock said. “And it’s an individual sport, so you don’t have to rely on anyone except for yourself. It’s just fun; I get exercise, I get to walk, I get sun and I get to play a sport. So, it’s really a fun game.”
To see complete first-day results, click on the following link:
