SYLVANIA, Ohio —
On Monday, Lizzie Win held her breath in the Sylvania Country Club clubhouse, hoping she would win the day's qualifier to compete in the Marathon Classic for the second consecutive year. On Tuesday, she was on Highland Meadows Golf Course, preparing for her second appearance in her hometown of Sylvania.
“Playing in it [The Marathon Classic] a year ago made me realize a lot of things. It kind of assured my golf game,” Win said. “I can compete at this level."
Win, a St. Ursula Academy alum and current golfer at Seton Hall, broke her college’s record for scoring average in a single year. She's also registered six Top 10 finishes and three Top 5 finishes. Those results have her setting high expectations heading into the week’s tournament.
“My game is in a really solid place right now, she said. “I think realistically making the cut is doable for me.”
After winning Monday’s qualifier by shooting even par, Win felt that her game is carrying plenty of momentum.
“Yesterday, I played really well in Sylvania. I've been striking the ball really well and putting really well,” she said. “I think this week that's the goal. Who says I can't win? Obviously, that's a really bold statement, but shoot a couple under everyday, you never know what could happen.”
Her family sounds just as confident.
“I think a reasonable expectation is trying to make the cut. I think she felt that way last year,” her father and caddie Tom Winn said. “Couple extra bogies in that first round cost her from making the cut. [She] played very solid the next day. I think she knows she can do it and that's half the battle.”
Being out there for the week proves that she is among the best in the world, a feeling that she belongs. It certainly helps that Highland Meadows happens to be her home course.
“I kind of had that feeling last year. Obviously, it took me a couple of holes to get into the groove of things I eventually got there and because it’s my home course, I feel like I’m at home because I am at home,” she said. “So for the second time coming out here, it almost feels natural. I think that’s definitely going to help me going forward.”