Alena Li of Okemos wins 46th Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Championship – The Oakland Press

Alena Li, a 16-year-old rising 12th grader at Okemos High School, poses with the Wright Memorial Trophy after defeating Macie Elzinga of Byron Center, 5 and 4, in the championship match at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West Golf Course on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Golf Association of Michigan)

EAST LANSING – Alena Li of Okemos looks forward to competing in the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Championship every year, and this year she has her sights set on winning the 46th edition.

Mission accomplished.

The 16-year-old Okemos High School senior defeated Macie Elzinga of Byron Center 5 and 4 in the championship match at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West Golf Course on Thursday.

With the title, Li added her name to the Wright Memorial Trophy and also received an exemption to play in the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship, which will be held later this summer at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California.

“This is a really big accomplishment, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Li said of winning the girls’ state championship. “Last year I was the (stroke play) medalist and I lost in match play (semifinals) and I was disappointed. I’m really excited and very honored to have won this year. It was a big goal of mine to win and I’m so happy I finally did it.”

It was an all-Okemos day, with Saisha Patil winning the 15-and-under division championship with a 6-5 victory over Tula Puzzuoli of Washington Township in the final.

Like Li, Patil, who is only 13 years old, also attends the Okemos school system. They have the same PGA golf professional as their teacher, Chris Mory from East Lansing. Both won medals in age group stroke play in 2023 and lost in the semifinals.

“I wanted to come back and win this time,” said Patil. “Last year I didn’t have a good feeling, but this feels very good. This is a big win for me.”

Li secured her spot in the championship match with a 4-2 win over Grace Slocum of Traverse City in the morning semifinals. Elzinga, who won a stroke play medal earlier in the week, defeated Mia Melendez of Ann Arbor 2-1 in the other semifinal.

The championship match was tied after six holes, but then Li won four consecutive holes and five of the next six to take control. During this stretch, she won each of the four par-3 holes located in the middle holes of the West Course (holes 7, 9, 10, 12), including birdies on holes 9 and 12 with aggressive putts.

“I had a few issues with my irons the first two days, but I was able to find a steady rhythm and improve my irons as the match play rounds went on,” Li said. “That helped me make some birdies, and I wanted to be aggressive with my putts today. I didn’t want to leave anything short.”

Li, who has made it a habit to build large leads during match play rounds, said she enjoys playing in the lead.

“I think having an early lead or a lead in general gives me a little bit of confidence,” she said. “And sometimes I know that if I mess up, I still have a little bit of breathing room.”

In the under-15 age group, Patil secured her final spot by fending off Grand Blanc’s Madilyn Sheerin by 1-up. A 20-foot par putt by Patil on the 18th hole sealed the win.

In the other semifinal, 14-year-old Puzzuoli advanced to the final with a 4 and 2 win over 11-year-old Hannah Kim of Troy.

Patil said her 8-iron was the club of the day as she won five consecutive holes (Nos. 9-13) to take control of the final.

“I’ve been doing well and using it on the back nine and the par 3s,” she said. “A few weeks ago my direction was a total mess, but I went to my coach (Mory) and started getting back into my routine.”