PT grad Benson qualifies for pair of national events in two weeks
One of the many aspects Ellie Benson enjoys about golf is the constant pursuit of improvement.
Benson, a recent Peters Township graduate, has seen plenty of success in her career. She’s a WPIAL individual champion and hit the winning putt to secure a state team title for the Indians.
But she doesn’t rest on her laurels.
A couple of weeks ago during a lesson, Benson discovered something she didn’t like in her footwork.
“At the lesson I saw that I was just really falling back out of my swing,” Benson said. “For the whole week before I just was in my room working on my footwork and shifting my weight.”
Her attention to detail paid off.
In the last two weeks, Benson has qualified for two major junior women’s golf events.
Two weeks ago, she shot two-under par to win the U.S. Girls’ junior qualifier at Shannopin Country Club. Last week she blew away the field by shooting seven-under to win the Tri-State Junior PGA girls championship at South Hills Country Club.
Those two victories earned her spots in national events. She’ll play in the 77th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship July 13-18 at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C. Two weeks later she’ll be at the Junior PGA girls championship at Fields Ranch East & West in Frisco, Texas, July 28-31.
Both events will provide Benson valuable experience before she heads to Gardner-Webb for her freshman year this fall.
“I’m really excited,” Benson said. “I love competing in events like that and competing against girls that are really good. Competing in that arena makes you a better player. I’m looking forward to playing against the best.”
Benson carded a round of 70 at Shannopin to win by six shots and take the only guaranteed qualifying spot for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.
Mya Morgan was second at plus-4.
It was a strong day for Benson, but she was even better at the Tri-State Junior PGA.
In the 36-hole event, Benson finished 16 shots ahead of her closest competitor, Addy Davis, who took the second and final qualifying spot.
“Pretty much every part of my game was working that day. I can’t say that something was off. I was making a lot of my putts. I’ve been going through a lot of swing changes lately, so I didn’t think it would go as well as it did, but I’m happy that it did. I kind of just had a few swing thoughts in my mind that helped me throughout the day. I knew it was going to be a long day with 36 holes, so I just tried to pace myself throughout the day.”
After an even-par front nine, Benson eagled the 10th hole to jumpstart her round. She finished her first round at three-under par and after getting a look at the scoreboard, she knew she had a comfortable lead going into the afternoon round.
“I am typically not a scoreboard watcher, but because it was 36 holes I wanted to see where I stood after 18,” Benson said. “When I saw where I was on the leaderboard, it kind of allowed me to play more freely (in the afternoon), because of the lead I had. If it was a two-shot lead I probably would’ve played a little more conservative.”
Benson birdied three of the first four holes and shot four-under on the front nine to put a stamp on the tournament.
Two days after Tri-State, Benson went to Lancaster to take part in practice rounds with Team Pennsylvania, which is part of the United States National Developmental Program. This is the inaugural season for Team Pennsylvania. The team consists of a dozen boys and girls apiece, which range in age from 13 to 18.
A committee selected the players in the fall.
“We’ll get to compete against other states,” Benson said. “It’s just really cool, because a lot of these girls, I’ve grown up playing with and such good players. It’s nice to finally be on a team with them and not competing against them one-on-one.”
Benson will get some practices in with Team Pennsylvania and some more lessons in with coaches before she heads to the two national events.
She’ll continue plugging away to be as prepared as possible.
“I’m never completely satisfied with my game,” Benson said. “There’s always something I would like to work on and something I’d like to change. That’s what I like so much about golf. There’s always new things to learn. New techniques to do and every time I have a lesson I feel like I learn something new. I’m always trying to improve in one area or another and I think that keeps it interesting.”