Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye
KALONA — Allee Rose Booten was so nervous she was getting sick to her stomach.
Booten was about to tee off in a Class 2A regional final girls golf tournament at Kalona Golf Course on Wednesday.
Once the tournament got under way, the Notre Dame-West Burlington high school freshman was right in her element.
And like great players are wont to do, Booten rose to the occasion.
Booten carded a 4-over-par 76 to win medalist honors and punch her ticket to the state tournament.
The Cass 2A state tournament is scheduled for May 28-29 at American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown.
For Booten, it was right where she thought she would be all along.
“I still haven’t processed it all the way. I am so proud of myself. It’s a great honor to represent Notre Dame,” Booten said. “The greens were really fast. I practiced at Flint Hills (Tuesday) night and the greens were slower because of all the rain. I got to Kalona and the first thing I noticed the greens were really speedy. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I observed how shots were bouncing on the green. I tried to hit higher shots so they would stay on the green. I didn’t try to hit low shots toward the flag because I knew they would roll off. I had to use a lot of spin.”
Neil, just like he did with Sam Yonker the previous day at a Class 2A district tournament at Wapello, calmed Booten’s nerves and kept her focused on everything she needed to be doing.
“Allee Rose had a steady ‘nose to the grindstone’ round,” Neil said. “She trusted her swing and picked her spots, which is how you have to play this course. Today was one of those days where you see who has been putting in the work, and she definitely displayed her dedication to the game.”
Booten said the support she got from Neil and her parents helped her get through the nerve-wracking moments.
“John walked the entire round with me and that really helped support my mental game,” Booten said. “He reminded me when I needed to eat something and when to reapply sunscreen. A couple times he told me to just breathe.”
Booten said she didn’t have any birdies on Wednesday, but had plenty of pars, which is what got her to state.
As the round progressed, Booten had no idea where she was compared to the competition. With the top six individuals advancing, Booten knew she had a chance.
“I knew about what my score was, but I wasn’t keeping track of where my opponents were,” Booten said. “I just focused on myself.”
“To come in as a freshman and win conference, regional, and regional final titles is so impressive,” Neil said. “Words cant describe how proud I am of her. The state tournament is what we’ve been preparing for all season, and I am confident she is ready to go. She battled a great opponent (Grace Lewis), who was right there with her the entire time. Next week is going to be a great experience. I know she will show up prepared, and eager to compete.”