As the only LZ golfer qualified for sectionals, she stood on the green slightly disappointed, but mostly satisfied with her score.
Áine Mattera, junior, was two strokes short of going to State. She shot an 82, her best score for 18 holes.
Although Mattera has been a key player this year, she said she was not as successful in the past. She decided to start playing golf a few days before tryouts. Compared to the other golfers, she said she lacked experience and had to work hard to make her way to the top.
“Freshman year, during the summer, I was going to try out for volleyball, but my sister suggested I do golf instead,” Mattera said. “I went in my garage, found a club, and started swinging it. This was a few days before the golf tryouts, so my mom looked up the name of the golf coach and called her and she was actually at the driving range that day. She said if I could come and hit the ball at the driving range, and then make it through tryouts, I could be on the team.”
After a rough freshman year, Mattera said she was frustrated with her scores and knew she was not reaching her full potential.
“Last year I decided I really wanted to get better. I told my parents I wanted to focus on golf and they supported me,” Mattera said. “They called a golfing coach, John Sheren, and he has been helping me for a year and I have improved by so much. During the summer I went to 14 tournaments for the IJGA [Illinois Junior Golf Association] and right from the first match I saw improvement. Freshman year I shot a 135 at Conference. I was shooting in the 90s [for 18 holes] within my first 4 to 5 matches over the summer. My goal was to break 100, and after breaking 100 my goal was to break 90. I broke it this year and I was so excited. Freshman year my average was 80 for 9 holes, which was really bad. My average for this season was 45.”
Other than improving her average score, Mattera broke a record and achieved an award this season.
“I shot an even par, or 35 par, which was the first even-par round in Lake Zurich girls’ golf history. And I was also the MVP for my team this year, which was just as awesome,” Mattera said. “It’s surprising and exciting that I have started from the lowest spot and became one of the best.”
Acknowledging Mattera’s impressive accomplishments over the years, Mel Fox, varsity and junior varsity girls’ golf coach, said her devotion and determination made it possible.
“What makes her stand out is the amount of time she puts in to the sport,” Fox said. “Not only does she practice with the team, she practices on her own time. She was completely devoted and went to tournaments, had lessons, and golfed with me this summer too.”
With her dedication and effort, Mattera hopes to continue playing golf in the college. She said she has to shoot consistently in the 70s, which is her current goal, for the schools she wants to go to.
“I am here to help the girls improve and encouraging them to play the sport for the rest of their life,” Fox said. “If Aine wants to play in college, she can. It may depend what college, but she definitely is dedicated, not only to golf, but to school and can play somewhere [in two years].”
Overall, Fox believes Mattera’s positive attitude will help her continue to succeed in the future.
“You have to have the ability to pick yourself up after a bad hit and do better,” Fox said. “She may have a bad hit, but she will then follow up with a birdie. She has greatly improved her scores by 16 points on average, but it will be harder to decrease her score by a couple points next year because of the level she is on. Even though it will be difficult, she has a great attitude and can improve. She started before freshman year, 2:30 in the afternoon during the summer, deciding she wanted to tryout, and has came this whole way. I am definitely proud of her improvement.”