In late May, Florida rising sophomore Sophie Stevens made a spur of the moment decision to compete in the Suzann Pettersen qualifier.
Her goal at the qualifier was to keep her game sharp and prepare for the Michigan amateur championships, she said.
A few weeks later, she returned to her home state, Michigan, to play in the qualifier. After completing two rounds over two days, she finished with the lowest score in the field. With her first-place victory, she earned the right to play in her first Ladies Professional Golf Association event, the Dow Championship.
“It was super cool being in Michigan playing my first [LPGA] event,” Stevens said. “That’s just something that you dream of.”
The tournament, which took place June 24-30 in Midland, Michigan, offered Stevens the opportunity to experience the notable pressure of a tour event and create memorable experiences on and off the course.
The Dow Championship takes place at the Midland Country Club and consists of 72 two-women teams. The tournament has five rounds and switches between alternate shot and four-ball. In alternate shot, team members will use the same ball and take alternate shots until completing the hole, while in four-ball, both golfers hold their own ball and the better of their scores is recorded.
For Stevens, choosing her tournament partner was easy. She immediately knew she wanted Vanessa Borovilos, the No. 2 prospect in the 2024 class and her good friend, to stand by her side. Borovilos will be golfing for the Texas A&M Aggies in the fall.
“I was thinking through all the people I’ve played with, and [Borovilos] was an easy [choice],” Stevens said at the Dow Championship June 25 press conference. “[She’s] an amazing player, and she’s a lot of fun to be around.”
The Midland Country Club was somewhat familiar territory to Stevens, who lived in Michigan throughout her formative junior golfing years. Having the chance to play in her first tour event in her home state and in front of her family was extremely special to her.
“I got a lot of support out there,” Stevens said. “It was a super cool opportunity, and I enjoyed every second of it.”
In the first two rounds of the tournament, Stevens and Borovlios had to survive the cut to advance to the final three rounds of play. The pair earned a 2-under 68 finish in the first round and holed six birdies in the second to post a cumulative score of 7-under 140.
The two golfers tapped into a strategy during the alternate shot rounds that complemented each other’s strengths.
“There were a couple of holes that played a little longer for me, but Vanessa hits the ball farther than I do,” Stevens said. “She would hit the tee ball on the longer holes so it would give us a shorter shot in.”
Stevens and Borovilos were confident in their position after finishing play early in the day. After watching the leaderboard throughout the day, though, the cutoff lowered and the pair felt the pressure begin to intensify.
At the end of the day, the pair played well enough to make the cut and secured a spot in the final three rounds of the tournament.
“We were super relieved, stoked and grateful to do something like that in our first LPGA event,” Stevens said.
Stevens and Borovilos finished the tournament T29 at 10-under 340. They completed four of five rounds under par and went 6-under 64 in the fifth round, their best of the tournament.
Much of Stevens and Borovilos’ success can be attributed to their attitudes. Despite the pressure and high stakes of an LPGA event, both were able to let loose and have fun on and off the course together.
The Dow Championship adds an element of excitement to competitive golf. Teams are able to establish an official team name and, on the 18th tee, teams have the opportunity to select their own walkout music.
While talking and playing ping pong, Stevens and Borovilos chose “The Youngins” as their team name.
“We were joking that we’re like the kids in this event and [Stevens] said that we were ‘The Youngins,’” Borovilos said at the press conference. “I [knew] that was the [perfect] name.”
The pair chose “Levels” by Avicii as their walkout song. The EDM classic provided “The Youngins” with plenty of positive energy.
“I’ve been listening to [Levels] for a couple years before almost all of my events, and it’s just a great song to get pumped up to,” Borovilos said.
Stevens used the event as an occasion to study some of the world’s best golfers and see how she can better her play.
“I learned a lot from observing players in the practice round,” Stevens said. “I saw a lot of things in other players’ games that I really want to emulate.”
This is no surprise to Florida women’s golf head coach Emily Glaser, who knows Stevens is a student of the game.
“What stands out to me about [Stevens] is her work ethic and desire to get better,” Glaser said. “For her to be able to play in a tour event where she was going to be around elite players and under a lot of pressure… I was just thrilled for her.”
Stevens nonchalantly informed Glaser of her first place finish in the Suzann Pettersen qualifier. Glaser said this attests to her unassuming personality.
“She texted me and told me, ‘Hey coach, by the way, I qualified for an LPGA event,’” Glaser said. “I was like, ‘What?’”
Stevens discovered elements of other golfers’ games that she wanted to apply to her own.
Her time at the Dow Championship allowed her to face unique challenges. Playing in front of a gallery and facing the pressure of an LPGA event is a valuable experience for any young golfer, and Stevens will look to utilize the lessons she learned in the Gators’ upcoming season.
“I’m super excited to get at it again… and continue to learn [in the fall],” she said. “There’s a lot in my game I can sharpen up on.”
Contact Aiden Wacksman at awacksman@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @aidenwacksman.
