Kacy Day tries not to peek at scores as she nears the finish of a close golf match. But last week, during the Harford County golf championships at Geneva Farms, she admitted she may have broken that rule.
The Harford Tech senior entered the final hole of the tournament even with Fallston’s Sarai Moss. They finished on a par 5, a hole Day and her father had practiced just days before. Day stood over a 2-foot par putt after Moss made bogey, tried to subside the nerves, then drained it to post a winning score of 76 for her second consecutive county title.
“Even though it was just like a 2-footer, it felt like it was a little longer,” she said. “I’ve never really been nervous to make a short putt, but I was so relieved when it went in the hole. It just sealed the deal.”
Day will participate in the state championship in College Park later this month, the final competition of her high school career. Day recently spoke with The Aegis to discuss her victory last week and how she’s preparing for the state final.
What was working well for you last week?
I think what helped me the most was just staying focused, staying steady, playing my own game and not worrying too much about what anyone else was doing. I always like to think of it as I’m just playing the course, and everyone is going to come out with a different score. Sarai played really well that day. The thing that helped me the most, just keeping it together and just staying steady until the last hole.
What was it like coming down the stretch in such a tight match?
I was paired up with [Sarai]. I’ve honestly never really been in that close of a match before, but I wasn’t really sure how close we were together. I knew it was only a few strokes, but I wasn’t really too sure. I don’t really like to look at the score very much when I’m out there. In the counties, we just write it all down on our own scorecards. I mean, I could have looked at it, and I kind of did a couple times, but I just wanted to stay focused.
At what point in the match did you know you had a good chance of winning?
It wasn’t really until the last few holes. I ended on 16, and I had practiced that hole a lot. It’s kind of a tricky par 5, kind of like fades off to the right side. The second to last hole before that, 15, I had not the best drive and pulled it a little left and her ball was in the middle of the fairway. I had to go over some trees, and I was just able to just make it to the front of the green. I had a pretty hard lag putt and I left myself at least a 6 or 7 foot downhill putt. I made it. So that was really a relief. And then on the last hole, I knew it was super tight, and I thought it we were both tied up. So I just knew that I just had to play my hole, the way that I play it, not worry about anything else. She hit her tee shot, it went off a little to the right, and then I hit mine in the fairway. From there, she made a bogey and I knew my last putt was to win. I was pretty relieved after that.
Harford Tech’s Kacy Day taps in for a par putt on the 15th green at last year’s state tournament. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Were you pretty familiar with the course beforehand?
My dad and I play our practice rounds, and we usually play a couple times. Sometimes we’ll go over and hit a couple balls off the tee just to make sure we have it down. The day prior, I was actually on that hole, and I hit a couple balls off the tee. I didn’t know that was going to be the hole that really sealed the deal for me.
What was it like also winning the team portion of the tournament — in such an individual sport?
It was amazing. I think it was one of my favorite high school experiences. We were actually in the clubhouse, and I honestly didn’t know that we were going to win. I wasn’t really expecting it at all. The C. Milton Wright coach came up to us as a team, and she was like, ‘I think you guys might have won.’ We were all so shocked, because we weren’t expecting it at all. It was really cool, especially win by one because I knew how my match was, how close it was and how I only won by one stroke. It was super exciting, and we’re all super happy.
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Golf is such a mental game. What tricks have you developed to help with that pressure?
Something I do — it might be a little weird — but I chew gum a lot. I think it really helps take my mind off of it. But another thing that I did was just not really pay too much attention to the score. It’s easier said than done, but just trying to stay focused on my own game and just try and play the best that I can play, and whatever happens is out of my control.
How has this season overall gone for you?
This season has been such a blessing. Honestly, it’s my favorite season that we’ve had yet. Senior night was super fun. I shot a 34, which was really cool, because that was my lowest score yet. My goal going into this year was to win all three of the major championships: districts, the state qualifier and the counties. I was super happy to be able to do that this year.
What’s the part of your game that’s come along the most this year?
Putting has gotten a lot better for me this year, and also driving. I think I drove the ball a lot farther this year. Putting has been huge for me. I ultimately think putting is the most important thing in golf. Something that’s really helped me is staying after practice, working on the greens, taking time to do drills and putt after practice until the course closes. I’ve seen it impact my game a lot.
How did you get started in golf?
My dad got me into golf. I started around when I was 7 or 8, but I never really took it seriously. I just went with my dad and my uncle every other Sunday or something like that, and sometimes I didn’t even play. But I think that really kicked in my junior year, and I really found a love for it. I used to play basketball, but I really loved golf and the individual aspect of it. I liked how you can control what you do. It’s not like you have to depend on a teammate. It just stuck with me, and here I am.
What are you looking forward to most at the state championship?
I’m looking forward to having a good time and soaking it in, because it’s my last big high school tournament. Just taking it shot by shot, hole by hole, and just soaking it in, having a good time is the thing I’m looking forward to.
What did you learn from your fourth-place finish at states last year?
I just learned that you can’t have high expectations with yourself. Going into last year, the only thing I wanted to do was make the cut. I didn’t expect to place or anything like that. I’m just going in with that same mindset. I just want to make it to Wednesday and I just want to start off with very low expectations. When you give yourself too high expectations, I feel like you fall short. I really want to make it to Wednesday and then see what happens from there.
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