Varsity Q&A: Glenelg senior Megan Kirkpatrick talks about runner-up finish at Class 2A/1A state golf tournament

Oct. 31—Last Wednesday at the state golf championships, Glenelg senior Megan Kirkpatrick put a strong close on her career.

In the latest edition of Varsity Q&A, she spoke about her performance at states and some of her favorite memories throughout her career. Editor's note: Some questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

After winning your first career district title, how much confidence did that give you for states?

It really just gave me that extra push. I knew going into it what I had last year and after winning districts, this year I was just that much more confident that I could actually do it. A lot at the top that have finished well these past few years are just such good golfers and it's kind of a tossup. Poolesville's Olivia Cong just happened to have the better day on Wednesday. I'm glad that I kept in it the first day and just made it good competition.

What did you learn from competing at states last year?

Last year I finished 4-over I believe. It was good but it definitely wasn't my best performance. I knew that coming into this year I was really going to have to give it my all if I was going to have a chance at winning. I used that as a lot of motivation to get better this year and obviously, I improved, and it wasn't quite enough, but it still felt good.

What aspect of your game do you feel like you've grown most?

My short game has definitely improved a lot. Last year if I missed a green, I would just be trying to save bogey, but at this point, if I miss the green, it wasn't that big of a deal. I definitely got a lot more confident with how I was playing the course, so rather than laying up on all the Par 5s, I was going for it a little bit more just trying to get that extra push to go lower.

How do you feel about your performance at states?

I do believe that this year and all the years that I have played have definitely been significantly better than previous years in terms of the field strength. It really is sometimes hard to be upset about playing really good golf and still not finishing first. Even though I wasn't able to finish the way I wanted to and it's a little bit sour that my season ended that way, but I'm still proud of the way I played.

All the success of Howard County golfers had at states, what do you think that says about the county?

I think Howard County has definitely grown a lot. It's really nice to see everybody finishing at the top from all the schools. It's really nice that Class 4A/3A isn't me and Helen Yeung going up against each other again or Glenelg versus the other teams. It's nice to be able to cheer on the other teams as well at states knowing that I don't have to compete against them. It also nice to see that Howard County is doing really well overall in the state. I'm really proud of how our team has grown through the years and also how every other team has gotten so much better as its gone on.

What are your favorite memories of golfing at Glenelg?

I think every memory is special to me. Every year was different. I started out freshman year we didn't get a chance at states; that was probably the closest we would've ever gotten. We did have a solid four that year and I'm definitely a little disappointed we didn't get to try for a state championship as a team because we had multiple golfers that went on to play collegiately. It's definitely disappointing that I didn't get that year but sophomore year was also very special to me with a new group of people. Junior to senior year was probably the same type of people, but junior year I got to set the county scoring record and that was super special. Having the people at Glenelg supporting me and the entire team just being there all the time. It really is the people that it make it most the fun.

Do you have any or post-round rituals?

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I like to have an iced coffee before every tournament, which definitely gets a little bit interesting in the winter. I'll always have my vanilla iced coffee, sometimes I won't finish it, but I'll at least have a sip. I'm definitely more superstitious when it comes to things on the golf course. The way that my bag's set up. I have a thing where I feel like if I don't fix my ball mark, I'm going to miss the put. It's definitely an interesting one, you'll see me out there all the time just fixing all the ball marks because I'm so afraid of that making me miss the put even though it definitely has nothing to do with it.

What is your special bag design?

I always have four balls in my bag in the front pocket. For the past four years I've had a gold star pin right next to my name. I also keep a ball mark in my side pocket that has sand from my home course engraved into it. Just making sure I have all those things in there. I'm also super superstitious about how my clubs are in there, certain clubs in certain parts of the bag. Putter, driver, everything with a headcover goes at the top, wedges at the bottom. The irons in their certain spot and if I don't put them in the right spot, I'll definitely hit a bad shot and later on I'll realize and say, 'Oh my gosh, that's why that happened.'

What shot is the most gratifying on the golf course?

Sinking a good put is definitely the most gratifying feeling. You can hit a good drive and still not make par on a hole, so it definitely comes down to what you do at the end. The putt is definitely the most important and makes you feel the best when you make a good one.

Is there one putt in your career that you're the proudest of?

Definitely. The eagle putt that I had on the last hole, the Par 5 at Cattail Creek, scoring the county record. I was 3-under going into that hole, I had no idea what the record was, but walking up to the putt it was like 30 feet long. I just knew I was going to make it. It was just so fun to have that feeling and when it dropped it was just the best feeling ever.