Li Wins Michigan Girls Junior Amateur

MICHIGAN GIRLS’ JUNIOR AMATEUR: Alena Li of Okemos Goes Back-to-Back

 BIG RAPIDS – Alena Li of Okemos became just the second golfer to win back-to-back Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateur Championships, and she had to beat a younger challenger from her hometown to do it.

  Li, 17 and headed to the University of Michigan in the fall for academics rather than golf, turned back 14-year-old Saisha Patil, 4 and 2, in the championship match Sunday in the 47th edition of the state championship presented by Imperial Headwear at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.

  “I think it was really cool that two people from Okemos were able to play in the final,” Li said. “It’s just amazing that we’re both from the same place and now I’m getting to know her a little bit more. She will be coming on to the Okemos (High School) team this year, so I’ve really just known of her more, and I have seen her at tournaments.”

  Li, last year’s Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Girls’ Player of the Year, played steady across the front nine and built a 3-up lead by taking advantage of Patil miscues. She went 4-up on last year’s GAM 15-and-under Girls’ Player of the Year on the par 3 13th with a birdie and eventually put the match away on 16.

  She matched the feat of Kerrigan Parks of Flushing, who was the first to win consecutive Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateurs in 2016 and ’17.

  “It is such an honor to win this championship two times in a row,” Li said. “It’s one that I have played in for a lot of years, and I think it’s always cool to come and play with all of these great players from Michigan.”

   In the 15-and-under Division, Cameron Baker of Novi demonstrated she is one of Michigan’s top junior golfers.

  The 15-year-old Northville High School student turned back 12-year-old Hannah Kim of Troy, 1-up, in that division title match.

   Li earned her spot in the championship match with a 2 and 1 win over Olivia Griswold of Portage, while Patil topped Grace Slocum of Traverse City 2 and 1 in the other morning semifinal.

   Baker made her way to the 15-and-under title match with a 4 and 3 win over Anika Srivastava of Okemos in the semifinals, and Kim had to go 19 holes to turn away Sixtine Charnelet of Bloomfield Hills.

  Li said she felt her game progressed through the week.

  “As the week went on, I felt more comfortable and more confident with my shots,” she said. “Today the key was just staying patient, staying confident and just playing my game. I made a lot of pars. The course was tough, so I just tried to minimize risks and stayed with my strategy.”

  Patil, who just last year won the 15-and-under Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateur title, said she was proud of herself for having reached the championship match against Li.

  “There are so many great players and getting to play Alena was a big accomplishment for me,” she said. “My performance up until the (final match) was good, but my game was just not there during the finals. I made mistakes and she made pars.”

 Baker, who now has two 15-and-under titles this summer having won the age division in the spring at the GAM Girls’ Championship, said she surprised herself this week.

  “I haven’t played match play in a while, so I was going into it kind of inexperienced,” she said. “I’m glad the way I pulled through. I was three-down I think on (hole five) and then I started to get my groove a little bit. I did get fired up and I feel like I really accomplished something. I’m proud of how much work I’ve put into it this summer.”

INFORMATION, SCORES: GAM.org