Julia Henry broke though.
The Homewood-Flossmoor senior golfed in her fourth sectional this fall. As a junior, she was a single stroke away from qualifying for state.
state finals by a single stroke as a junior. She redeemed herself
at the sectional this season. (Provided photo)
“It feels so good to finally break through and reach that goal (of qualifying for state),” she said. “It proves how much I’ve improved and just how much better I’m doing. It’s great.”
Henry left no doubt this time around, carding a second-best 71 during the sectional at Silver Lake Country Club Oct. 7 in Orland Park. She was the top individual qualifier, as medalist Toral Bhatt advanced to state with the Hinsdale Central team. Bhatt shot a 69.
Henry’s day didn’t begin well. She spent the morning thinking about last year and then opened with two bogeys.
“That immediately sent me into a little bit of a funk,” she said. “It also motivated me to work even harder because I didn’t want it to turn out like last year.”
From there, she alternated birdies and bogies for four holes. She finished the front nine two over par and knew she had to get back on track.
“I knew that staying two over would’ve sent me to state but I wanted to do better,” Henry said.
The back nine started with another bogey, but then she went on a tear.
Birdie. Birdie. Par. Eagle. Par. Par. She was two under. Last year was forgotten. She advanced to the state finals at Hickory Point.
“Right when I made that eagle putt I knew it was going to be a good round and I was going to be up there (on the leaderboard),” she said. “I was pretty locked in. I just really wanted to get it done and do everything in my power to make sure I knew where I was aiming, knew what club I wanted to hit, knew the wind direction, the line my putt was going to go. I just took my time on every shot and I think that really helped me.”
Settling into the round was the difference. A year ago, Henry said her emotions were “all over the place” when she finished her sectional round. She thought she may end up in a playoff. She knew it would be close.
“I was super upset because I’d worked the whole year for this,” she said. “For it to get taken away by just one shot, one more putt I could’ve made or one more green I could’ve hit, it was just difficult.”
That thought fueled Henry not only this fall, but over the spring and summer. To come that close and not quite make it wasn’t easy.
“It hurt for a while, especially the day after and for the next few days,” Henry said. “The whole season this year, I kept thinking about that. I was thinking about how I have to do better and work towards achieving that goal that I just missed last year.”
The Vikings program has a proud tradition. The team has six team state titles, most recently in 2010. Only New Trier, with seven, has more. H-F also has eight team runner-up trophies, the last in 2011. Overall, H-F has more team trophies (20) than any program in Illinois.
Homewood-Flossmoor boasts 19 individuals who’ve combined for 32 medals. Emily Giley won consecutive individual championships in 1996 and 1997.
Henry would love to add to that legacy by earning all-state honors with a top 10 finish. Even if not, though, she said she’ll be able to finish her high school golf career with a smile.
“The goal for state is to try my absolute hardest and not leave any strokes out on the course and see where that gets me,” she said. “I can’t control what everyone else shoots but I can control what I do.”