Stevens Is A GAM Player of the Year

GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Highland’s Sophie Stevens Tops Junior Girls’ Points List

  FARMINGTON HILLS – Highland’s Sophie Stevens has ironed out some swing things that went awry in the late summer, and she is working with a trainer following what she described as a pleasing year.

  “I’m headed in the right direction,” she said.

  Stevens, who will turn 16 later this month, has been named the Golf Association of Michigan Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, Kyle Wolfe, director of junior golf for the GAM announced today.

  GAM Players of the Year are determined by the Player of the Year points system. Points totals can be found on a pull down from the PLAY tab at GAM.org.

  Previously James Piot of Canton was named the GAM Men’s Player of the Year, Kimberly Dinh of Midland was named the Women’s Player of the Year, Terry Delcamp of Grand Blanc was named the Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Jerry Gunthorpe of Ovid was named the Senior Men’s Player of the Year, and Rick Herpich of Orchard Lake was named the Super Senior Player of the Year.

   In the next two weeks the GAM will announce more Junior Players of the Year in gender and age categories.

  Stevens, a member through Prestwick Village Golf Club, played in U.S. Women’s Amateur, won the GAM Junior Kickoff tournament to start the season and was stroke play medalist in the Michigan Girls’ Junior State Amateur to help build her 1,208 points for the year.

  Lauren Timpf of Macomb, a member through Burning Tree Golf Club, won the Michigan Girls’ Junior State Amateur and the season-ending GAM Junior Invitational to finish second with 1,105 points.

  Kate Brody of Grand Blanc and Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, runner-up to Timpf in the Junior State Amateur, finished third with 865 points. Bridget Boczar of Canton, a member through Youth on Course Michigan was fourth with 695 points and Lilia Henkel of Grand Rapids and Cascade Hills Country Club rounded out the top five with 665 points.

  Stevens said the experience of playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur where she narrowly missed the cut into match play was the highlight of the summer.

  “Even though I just missed match play I felt pretty good about the way I played,” she said. “It was a fun experience. I was playing well until I made double-bogey on 15 (in the final round of stroke play). It was a bit of a stinger the way I finished there, but I’m taking the positives and the experience of playing that week.”

  Stevens, who works with Ypsilanti instructor Craig Piscopink, said late in the year her ball-striking suffered but she has worked things out this winter.

  “I was doing some things with my hands and really my whole body that made by ball-striking suffer,” she said. “My strength is my driving and ball-striking I feel even though it wasn’t quite there at the end of the year. I improved my short game last year and I going to keep working on that. There’s always room for improvement. I’ve also started working out with a trainer and a workout program and I’m seeing improvements there – I’ve added some distance.”

  Stevens plan another busy summer of national and Michigan tournament competitions.

  “It’s so nice to come back home and play,” she said. “It’s a good feeling and I get to see the people I’ve been playing with ever since I was 10 (years-old).”

  Wolfe said Stevens is a golfer dedicated to the game and is always seeking ways to improve.

  “She is not afraid to take on the challenge of the game,” he said. “Sophie has a very strong mental game and is very driven for a younger player. She works very hard and is always that person still out there on the driving range or the putting green after a round is over getting ready for the round the next day.”