Coming off a strong junior season, Apollo’s Mary Ann Lyons was recognized for her stellar play for the second straight year by being named to the First Team All-Second Region once again.
Lyons said she is thrilled to have earned the honor for a second time, helping give her some confidence and some more motivation going forward.
“Being on the All-Region First Team has helped me come to a realization of just how capable I am of being good when I really put my mind to it, this year especially. I made the team last year as well and to do it again is such a big accomplishment for me and it is definitely something that I will carry with me into the next season.”
Lyons earned herself a spot at state for the second straight season, shooting an 84 individually in the 2nd Region Championship. While she would’ve like to make it past semi-state, Lyons had goals of shooting in the lows 80’s and mid-high 70’s coming to the season—something she was able to accomplish at times throughout the year—and feels like she’s taken steps toward doing so consistently this season.
“The way I played the majority of the season isn’t something I am proud of, as even though in my first round I came out and shot a 75, I was in the high 80’s to the low 90’s,” Lyons said. “However, towards the end I really started to put everything together and having my dad as my coach this year really made all the difference. Having him by my side the whole time and getting his help on the course really turned my game around at the end of the season.”
Lyons said that a few of her strengths this season were putting, using irons and playing smart-golf. She has learned that she is at her best when she hones in on the mental side of the game, while knowing she still has some room to improve in her golf game as a whole.
“I hit my irons well enough that sometimes I could tee off with an iron and be in a better spot than where I would have been had I used my driver,” Lyons said. “Playing smart-golf helped me make so many better decisions on the course that would save me during a round.”
Going into her senior year, Lyons wants to find herself making another deep postseason run while qualifying for state. In order to do so, Lyons said that she has to improve her play with her driver while also improving on her short game in order to make her last year as an E-gal her best yet.
“Like I said earlier, this is my second year making the All-Region first team so it definitely motivates me to want the title again next year,” Lyons said. “Next year I want to make sure I make the second round of State and spend the season improving to my full potential and really just enjoy it.”
