Kaitlyn Hill handled her first four-day golf tournament well, parlaying an 11th-place finish at the B.C. Junior Girls' Championship into a spot on the provincial team at the Canadian Junior Girls' Championship.
At the provincial event in Nanaimo from July 2 to 5, Hill shot a four-day total of 315, 17 strokes back of champion Andrea Zhang of Vancouver.
When she was on, she was on, tying for fifth overall by breaking par on seven different occasions with six birdies and an eagle at Fairwinds Golf and Country Club, which presented its own challenges to the Nicklaus North member.
"It's not really anything I've played before. It's a very, very narrow course and it's not super long, so it's mainly about position," the 17-year-old said. "That was definitely something that, coming from Nicklaus North, which is a longer course but you have a lot of room but can push it left or right if you need to, it was the complete opposite.
"Luckily, we got very lucky with the weather. It was sunny days throughout the week."
The course setup made Hill take a more conservative approach as she sought to take shorter, more controllable shots than long bombs that could end up deep in the rough.
"Sometimes I might have taken a club from my bag that I could rely on more [for] positioning and aim rather than pulling out longer clubs in my bag that might get me into some trouble," she said.
Of course, the other major adjustment for Hill was sustaining consistency over a four-day period as opposed to the more common two-day tournament setup for junior golfers. Her best day came in Round 3, shooting a 74, which came immediately after an 83 in Round 2.
"Once you get to play it quite a few times throughout the week, you get to know the course better and where you want to place the ball throughout the day," she said. "You also have to stay in a very competitive mindset, which is hard to go full days playing consecutively.
"Staying to my normal routine, not trying to overwhelm myself with the fact that it's a four-day tournament and just playing it day-by-day and hole-by-hole [was important]."
Hill's performance helped her crack the provincial team that will compete in Lethbridge, Alta. from July 30 to Aug. 2.
"It's amazing that I'm able to go to Alberta, representing B.C. in the Canadian Juniors, and being invited there," she said. "This was a great preparation for the Canadian Juniors, and a nice little warm-up."
Hill said she's tried to scout Lethbridge Country Club online and by talking to some friends who have played it. While she's gathered some intelligence so far, she's eager to give it a go for herself.
"I've been told that it's pretty windy," she said. "I'll play an official practice round as well as another practice round before and really just try to get to know the course from there."
Hill said she's been glad to play in higher-profile tournaments this year as she looks to land a post-secondary scholarship, adding she currently has one offer from a Canadian university.
