Girl’s Golf Player of the Year: Apollo’s Macey Brown

December 3, 2020 | 12:05 am

Updated December 2, 2020 | 10:20 pm

By Owensboro Times

Apollo’s Macey Brown had a whirlwind junior season for the E-gals, which was capped off with the first championship in program history for AHS but for Brown, it’s always been about everyone in her camp, not just herself.

When Brown made the final putt on the 18th green to win a playoff and the KHSAA State Girls’ Golf Championship at Bowling Green, she hugged two people almost immediately. First was her dad and second was her best friend, her coach Jarrod Carter.

It’s Brown’s dominance on the course this season that makes her the Owensboro Times Girls’ Golf Player of the Year.

Even though she’s been a state champion for well over a month, it still doesn’t feel real for Brown.

“It’s definitely hasn’t set in completely but it’s getting there,” she said. “For the first couple of weeks it was super hectic, and we were constantly doing something related to the tournament but now that we’ve settled down it’s starting to feel more real.”

Even though she and her fellow Eagles haven’t been at school like normal, Brown said the response has still been great since her victory.

“The school and the people in the community have been so supportive and encouraging,” she said. “I’m very blessed to have the family and friends that I have.”

Brown led a trio of locals to make the cut at the state tournament as all will return in 2021, including her teammate Mary Ann Lyons, who also made her first state berth this season.

Brown said golf in the city of Owensboro is only going to get better.

“There are multiple girls that are absolutely incredible right now and they’re only in seventh grade,” she said. “When I was in seventh grade, I hadn’t even played an 18-hole round before and I was shooting in the 50s on nine holes so it’s definitely an accomplishment for them to be as good as they are right now.”

As with most things in 2020, Covid-19 proved to be a factor in Brown’s run to the state tournament this season as she wasn’t able to do as much as she normally would.

She said she had to find different ways to keep pushing.

“Definitely the hardest part about this season was being motivated,” she said. “It’s really hard to stay motivated when you’re stuck in the house and golf for me is super individual so it was also hard to go out and be by myself all the time but we got through it. My dad played a big part in me wanting to go just because i knew he would be out there with me.”

While some fall athletes are using the winter as a break, Brown is using it to improve her game in an attempt to repeat as a state champion.

She also has a tournament in June at one of the premier courses in the country.

“During the offseason, we’re going to continue to focus on improving my swing – tweaking all the little details,” she said. “In June, I got invited to play at Pinehurst in North Carolina, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s somewhere different and I think it’s gonna be a really fun tournament to be able to play in.”

For Brown, it’s all about getting better and when she hits the course for the first time next season, all the hard work will be worth it.

December 3, 2020 | 12:05 am

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