Junior Sayers Allen placed second at the girls golf regional meet on April 18, shooting 69-69-138.
She placed first at district on March 28 for the third year in a row.
“I’ve been playing golf for 14 years, ever since I was two”, Allen said. “It’s really made a big impact on my life and who I am as a person.
However, high school isn’t the only time she won district. In fact, it goes all the way back to her middle school days, where she would regularly practice at the river crossing golf club.
“Because I won all three districts in middle school, I wasn’t all that surprised when I won district during my Freshman year,” Allen said. “I played the same courses regularly, so I was kinda already used to the area and where everything was. It was a better feeling to come back and win it.”
Her coach, Jason Pape, has watched her ever since she first started playing golf, and he is proud of her hard work and dedication.
“Sayers is a machine on the golf course and as long as we get her on the golf course, the chance of winning is pretty high,” Pape said. “It’s great to see all the kids’ success, but every time she wins district, it has been super rewarding. Practice is one thing, but the expectations and execution of lessons on their own time is what sets the average players from the elite players.”
Allen is committed to play golf at Arkansa State University, where she will be Majoring in Animal Science with a minor in Equine.
“I had an official visit in September,” Allen said. “I was really excited because, even though Arkansa wasn’t really on my radar at the time, I realized what a huge opportunity it was once I started getting more invested in them.”
In 2023, Allen won the bronze medal at the UIL 5A state tournament and was a finalist for Girls Golfer of the Year honor by the Express News. She shares her advice with those interested in the sport, both as a profession and as a pastime.
“Don’t give up because at times it can get hard,”Allen said. “. Anything can happen when you’re playing this, you could hit a bad shot, you can hit an amazing shot, it’s pretty unpredictable ,”Allen said. “You can’t control the bad shots, so you have to make sure you stay positive and try your best throughout the match.”
Allen will compete at state on May 6 with her coach and her teammates behind her.
Every year, the golf team gives the players a new slogan or phrase that they can work with, which they believe helps them get onto the path to their success.
“Earned not given,” said Pape. “That’s our message this year. We constantly preach and emphasize dealing with adversity and perseverance, which is extremely important in golf as well as in life. We live in a competitive world, and SV golf is a prime example of that. Sayers is always up for the challenge, and is one of the best to ever play the game at SV.”
