Lady Ram prepares for Junior PGA Championships
After returning to the Lakeside girls golf team last fall and winning both individual and team state titles, Maggie Huett is prepared to play in the Junior PGA Championships at Hot Springs Country Club.
Huett returned to the Lady Rams in the fall of 2022 after a two-year hiatus and led Lakeside to a Class 5A state title while also picking up her second individual crown.
“I only competed in two state tournaments and I won both of those as an individual and as a team,” Huett said. “To have this tournament right after my past state it’s been good. It’s nice to be able to play in this, especially this is my last junior tournament before I go to college. I leave about a week after this tournament coming up. It’s really nice to have my last junior tournament at my home course in Hot Springs.”
The stage does not get much bigger than the Junior PGA Championships, and Huett said it’s a privilege to play at her home course in such a big event.
“I think that it’ll help a lot just because I know all of the greens and everything,” she said. “I know this course really well. I’ve been playing here since I was 5.”
Playing at home comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
“Being at home takes a little bit of the pressure off because I’m more familiar with the area,” Huett said. “With that, there is a little bit more pressure because it is my home course so more people expect me to do better here. I’m just going to try to stay calm during the whole thing.”
When Huett travels to golf tournaments, usually she just travels with her mom or dad. Now playing at Hot Springs Country Club, she’ll have more of her family there to support.
The Lady Ram will also be representing the community in a giant tournament, and Huett will not be the only Lakeside golfer competing in the Junior PGA Championships. Boys golfer Will Gordon will also be on the course.
“I think it’s wonderful to have both of us compete,” she said. “For the people who are from Hot Springs, that’s going to do well for Lakeside golf. Our past season for our golf team, the girls and the boys both did well. We’ve had a great coach to help us. I think it’s awesome to have two people from Lakeside to compete in this.”
Huett said she played well so far this summer, and she can carry that form into one of the biggest golf tournaments for juniors in the world.
“So far this has probably been one of my best golf summers.,” she said. “I think pretty good prepared for this. I’ve had good scores this summer, so that’s kind of given me a little bit more confidence. So, I think it’ll be good.”
Although Huett does not tend to drive the ball as far as her competitors, her drives are usually straight, and she can work on difficult parts of the two courses at Hot Springs Country Club to prepare for the event.
“Maybe there’s a couple difficult spots on the course that I know are a little bit more difficult,” Huett said. “So I’ll go out there, try and figure out, ‘Oh what do I need to do for this,’ or go make sure I know all of the greens and everything well.”
The girls start the first round Tuesday on the Park course, and Huett is looking forward to the competition.
“Definitely being able to play with some of the best junior girls in the country,” Huett said. “Not just the country, there’s girls coming from different countries, too. The competition, I love being able to play with girls that are really, really good. It helps me be better, too.”