GIRLS GOLF: Chan savors individual state championship
Junior laments Cranbrook Kingswood's near miss at state title
A second state title next season isn't out of the question for Cordelia Chan. (Submitted photo)The Cranbrook Kingswod junior has set herself up to make history next season when she could become the first Oakland County golfer to win two consecutive individual state championships, but did not take an immediate liking to the links when her father introduced her to the sport.
“I started when I was probably about seven years old when my dad (Donald) starting taking me out to the course and showing me things because he is such a big golf fan,” Chan recalled. “I remember not liking it very much and not really wanting to go. I almost wanted to cry sometimes because I wanted to be doing something else, but by the time I was about 11 that changed and I started to like playing.”
What changed?
“I think it was that I started to make some good shots and loved that feeling,” Chan said. “It’s amazing how making some tough shots will motivate you and keep you coming back to the course.”
Chan made good shots aplenty last weekend in capturing the Division 3 state championship. She was the only golfer in the field to shoot under 80 both rounds under challenging conditions at The Meadows Golf Course in Allendale, finishing with a 36-hole total of 157 and three strokes clear of teammate Greer Clausen to become the Cranes’ first state champion. Only four players at any of the four state tournaments posted a better final score.
“I had worked on my putting a lot the past few weeks and that really helped me and I used a driver one club which helped me keep my shots straight which was really important on that course because of all the water, bunkers and trees it has, and there was wind to deal with,” said Chan, who finished second a year ago. “I thought I was playing well going in and figured it would take two rounds in the 70s to win it and I was able to do that.”
Doing that proved difficult with all the hazards The Meadows presents in addition to wet conditions which left standing water on the course. In fact, only three other golfers in the field shot even one round in the 70s.
“The conditions were not great with the wind and the water on the course, but Cordelia stayed focused very well and shot two consistent rounds,” Cranes coach Mark Moyer said. “She has spent a lot of time working on her putting and it showed. Cordelia saved several strokes with strong putting in both rounds. It was wonderful to see her and Greer finish first and second in the state, but Cordelia, especially, will be the first to say it was really bittersweet.”
That’s because Cranbrook fell painfully short of a team state championship. After the Cranes and county rival Country Day both finished with two-day scores of 707, the Yellowjackets were named champions based on the fifth player’s two-round score.
“At the time, it was really tough for me to be happy about being the individual state champion because I wanted to lead us to a team championship,” Chan said. “It was tough to lose the team competition that way. My teammates were happy for me, but it was hard to enjoy it.”
Moyer, who has watched Chan progress from shooting 191 at the state tournament as a freshman to 164 last season and 157 this year, understood.
“Bittersweet is certainly the way to describe it,” he said. “The girls all played great golf to come back on the second day and tie Country Day, but it was tough to think about the fact that one stroke here or there would have won it. That made it hard for a competitor like Cordelia.”
The state title capped a memorable season for Chan, who lowered her 18-hole scoring average by six strokes to 77, including a personal-best 71 in winning the Troy Invitational. She also shot a personal-best 34 for nine holes in dual-match against Macomb Lutheran North and captured a regional title. Chan averaged 37.8 in nine-hole competition.
“I think putting improvement led to the better scores for me more than anything,” said Chan, who has been among Cranbrook’s top two golfers since her first high school match. “Last year, I was probably taking 39 or 40 putts in every round and this year it was usually between 34-36. I played in a lot of summer tournaments against strong competition and read some of Bob Rottella’s books about the mental side of golf which really helped me stayed poised through each shot.”
Moyer feels Chan has probably done enough to earn a spot on the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association’s nine-member Super Team when it is announced next month. The team is comprised of the state’s best golfers in all divisions. Chan was Division 3 first-team All-State a year ago and honorable mention as a freshman.
"Cordelia was certainly one of the state's top golfers last season, but I really feel she has progressed to Super Team status this year," Moyer said. "She just has that dedication to the sport and the hunger to never stop wanting to improve. She put in a lot of practice rounds starting in early spring and really worked on her game. Cordelia will probably be even better next season and will be a great leader for her teammates."
Chan can become only the second Oakland County golfer to win two individual state championships, joining Birmingham Groves' Suzy Green (1983 and '85), but hoisting a team state championship trophy is what will really be fueling her competitive fire.
“We are losing an amazing player in Greer, but other teams are losing more top seniors, so I think we have a great chance to become state champions next year,” Chan said. “As captain, I plan to motivate my teammates to really work hard in the offseason because that will probably be the difference between winning a state title or not. That’s the main goal, but winning another individual championship is a big one too. Hopefully, both will happen.”
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