A junior golfer’s reaction to playing with a legend of the game

In the wake of last week’s U.S. Women’s Open qualifier at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, I was lucky enough to get some reactions from one of the two high-school-age golfers who played with two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Juli Inkster.

Harper Clementz, of San Francisco, plays on the boys’ golf team at San Francisco University High School, is a Junior Merit member at the Olympic Club, and wants to be a NASA Flight Controller someday:

Juli Inkster, 1999 and 2002 USGA U.S. Women’s Open champion, and one of her two playing partners in the Monday, April 26 qualifying tournament at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, 16-year-old Harper Clementz of San Francisco. (photo courtesy Cindy Clementz)

Q: What did you think when you found out you were paired with Juli?

A: My initial reaction was shock and disbelief. I didn't think the USGA would pair her with a teenage amateur but I was excited that they did!

Q: What was Juli like on the course?

A: Juli was friendly and focused. She treated us like equal playing partners. She always wanted to play “honors” from the tee, which is how they play on the LPGA, and that was something different from my usual tournaments. When I was struggling in the second round, she offered to hit first to give me more time to prepare. It was such a courteous thing to do.

Q: Did anything interesting, funny, or memorable happen during either round?

A:  After the first round, on the 18th hole, she smiled at us and said, “Alright, let’s do better next time!”, and she was ready to go again even though I was ready to sit down since I had never played 36 holes in a row before. I think she knew we were starstruck and she tried to make us feel at ease. She was the first person to say “nice shot” or “great putt” and it’s a good feeling to get a compliment like that from such a legend.

Q: Did you learn anything from the experience of playing with her?

A: Even if you are a Hall of Fame golfer, you still make mistakes; it’s about how hard you fight back. She didn’t hit perfect shots every time, but she knew how to recover quickly and move on. Also, it’s okay to make jokes and laugh even though it’s a serious competition. Despite one particularly bad stretch of holes, I proved to myself that I can keep up and that motivates me to keep practicing—I was already back on the range on Monday afternoon.