'It was happening for a reason': Brighton golfer Amelia Gatti emerges from early slump
BRIGHTON — Brighton senior Amelia Gatti knew her golf game would eventually come around.
The tricky part about high school golf is the season is so short that, by the time a player figures things out, it could be too late.
Gatti has emerged from a rough start to her season to play her best golf at the right time of the year, shooting 79 for the second straight tournament in the KLAA postseason event Friday at Kensington Metropark Golf Course.
In the Bulldogs’ first four tournaments, Gatti averaged 87.8 and factored into the team score only once. In the last three, she’s averaged 79.7, regaining the form that earned her Livingston County Golfer of the Year as a junior.
“Of course, it was frustrating, but I figured it was happening for a reason,” Gatti said.
After shooting 88 and 91 in the season-opening tournament in Traverse City, Gatti began overhauling her swing. She had an 88 in the next tournament, the KLAA preseason event at Kensington, to finish fifth on the team.
She stuck with the process and is reaping the rewards for her hard work and patience.
“I have a different swing,” Gatti said. “I’ve been working on my mental game a lot and being more focused and present and not worrying about past shots and future shots, just kind of letting it go both physically and mentally.
“When things weren’t going that well in the beginning, in general, I just needed the change. I’ve had (the same swing) since I started, so that’s almost five years. It’s time for a change. It definitely helped a lot. It’s easier for me to feel more confident when I step up to the ball. I like it a lot. Playing with it and seeing the results definitely makes me feel more comfortable, for sure.”
When Gatti shot 88 the last time Brighton played at Kensington, coach Paul Parsell expressed confidence she would get her game turned around.
“She’s had a great attitude over the last couple weeks, which helps,” Parsell said. “She’s very confident in her swing. She finally got through the swing change, which is great for her. She has a lot of confidence and a great attitude; that’s the major difference.”
Gatti was one of three Brighton golfers to shoot 79, the others being juniors Maddy Martens and Abbie Pietila. They tied for third place behind Northville co-medalists Sanya Singhal and Avi Gill, who shot 78s.
Junior Lauren Forcier completed Brighton’s score, shooting 83 to tie for 10th.
“Basically, everyone can shoot in the 70s,” Gatti said. “I feel like we’re just all really close and consistent. We can all make a big impact. Someone’s going to be able to help. If someone’s not having their best day, there’s always going to be someone to pick up the back end. It’s great having girls that have put in so much work to see those results all come together.”
Northville had a four-shot advantage over Brighton after the preseason tournament and added to it Friday by shooting 318, two strokes lower than Brighton.
Hartland was fifth with a 374, finishing fifth for the two rounds. Howell was sixth with a 385, taking seventh out of 10 full teams in the tournament.
Hartland junior Brooklyn Daniels shot 83 Friday to tie for 10th.
Brighton sophomores Sydney Rauh and Anelise Gatti, whose rounds didn’t factor into the team score, tied for 15th with 87s. Howell senior Jillian Smith tied for 17th with an 89.
Brighton, Hartland and Howell will compete in a Division 1 regional at 10 a.m. Monday at Eldorado Golf Course in Mason.
“I’m proud of my girls, how much we battled today,” Parsell said. “We’re still working on some things. We’re starting to peak at the right time. I’m anxious for regionals and then the state tournament. We’ll be ready.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: 'It was happening for a reason': Brighton golfer emerges from slump
