Timpview freshman golfer Rachel Lillywhite had put together a solid season in 2019 in her first year with the Thunderbirds, helping her team go toe-to-toe with Corner Canyon (the defending 5A champs) in Region 7 action.
With less than a month until the 5A state tournament, however, Lillywhite started running into problems significant enough to cast a shadow on her season.
Lillywhite’s story is one of many that defined Timpview as the Thunderbirds surged to win their first 5A championship at The Ridge at West Valley City earlier this week.
But it was certainly the most dramatic.
“I think it was our third-to-last tournament in region and I went and played, but I had double vision,” she said Wednesday. “I played and then we went to the emergency room and figured out what was going on. The spinal fluid pressure in my back got really really high, so it was putting pressure on my head. It was causing headaches, neck pain and back pain.”
Lillywhite went from one extreme to the other as the doctors took out the excess spinal fluid — causing other problems.
“I had a headache from the high pressure and when they took it all out, the change was so big that I had a totally different headache,” Lillywhite said.
The medical issues caused Lillywhite to miss two tournaments late in the season, allowing the Chargers to win the league.
“It was the worst time,” Lillywhite said. “I could tolerate the pain but I was seeing two balls and two holes. That was not what I needed. I couldn’t practice for a week-and-a-half because I had to not move pretty much. I lost some practice time and the double vision threw off my short game because I didn’t know how hard to hit stuff.”
She said that she played in the final Region 7 tournament and then prepared for state, knowing it would likely be a little tougher. She said the camaraderie of the Thunderbird squad helped her through.
“I knew I probably wouldn’t play as well as I wanted to but I felt that was OK because I thought the team could pull together,” Lillywhite said. “Then to come out here and post a score that helped contribute was good.”
Lillywhite posted an 82 on the first day and a 79 on Day 2, ending up in a tie for sixth place as the team earned the title.
“We had really good players who pulled together and posted some really good scores,” Lillywhite said.
Another freshmen who elevated her game was Sunbin Seo, the No. 1 golfer for Timpview all season but who wasn’t happy with her score of 80 on Day 1.
“I don’t know what happened,” Seo said. “It was a rough day. I was prepared for the weather but I was disappointed.”
She said she went home and got a good night’s sleep, then enjoyed her pairing with golfers from Corner Canyon and Alta. That helped her rally to shoot a 72 in the final round, tied for the best round of the tournament and get a fourth-place individual finish.
While Lillywhite, Seo and Keilani Hanamaikai provided the top scores, Timpview head coach Jeff Ward credited the way upperclassmen like Kennedy Olson, Macie Howard and Anna Fellars stayed loyal to the team and helped the younger players get used to team golf.
“They embraced them,” Ward said. “Kennedy Olson (a senior) has played by No. 1 spot pretty much since she was a freshman and she played in the No. 4 spot all year. She was awesome with it. My seniors were great leaders. I asked both of them if they thought we would be here winning state four years ago and they said no. I’m really, really happy for them. We used to get our butts kicked. All of them had to buy in and they did. No one cared who was playing were. They are all just so kind to each other and like each other.”
Olson said putting the team first was actually pretty natural.
“We became friends so fast,” Olson said. “It was fun to hangout at practice. The team came together really fast. During the past couple of weeks when we have had two tournaments and been together from morning to night, we have become so close. We are just laughing all the time, I’ll walk away with all the memories of that and all the girls.”
The Thunderbird senior also had the chance to play a big role in her team’s victory at state as she bested her top score of the season in two consecutive rounds when it mattered most.
“It was the best thing,” Olson said. “In the final round, I came into the last hole knowing I had to birdie to shoot in the 80s — and I did it, which was awesome. I almost started crying because I was so happy.”
The Timpview seniors will be moving on but with such a gifted corps of young golfers and a state title, everyone knows the Thunderbirds will be the team to beat moving forward.
“I don’t mind that at all,” Ward said. “When we beat Corner Canyon for the first time in region, I told my girls that everyone now knows how good we are. We need to be humble about it but work harder. That will be my message now. We have a big target on us but it just means we will work harder. We have a goal and everyone is going to try to knock us off — and that’s OK. We just make sure we put the time in.”
Expect the Timpview freshmen to embrace the role of favorites and not let it phase them at all.
“I love that,” Seo said. “I just want to play a little better. I’m very excited about next year.”