SEQUIM — Former Sequim girls golf coach Garrett Smithson had it pegged.
“We could be in store for something really special,” he said in 2014 of then-freshman golfer Alex McMenamin.
Three seasons later, Smithson’s prediction has turned into reality.
McMenamin has clearly lived up to the hype. Consider her bonafides:
She earned her second outright and third straight Olympic League MVP award this season by posting a league-low scoring average of 39.6 shots per nine holes — more than four strokes better than runner-up McKenna Kendall of Klahowya.
McMenamin guided the Wolves (9-0) to an Olympic League team championship as well, the third straight league title for Sequim.
The Wolves have yet to lose an Olympic League match in McMenamin’s career (24-0).
McMenamin claimed her second Olympic League championship, this time winning by six strokes by shooting a 7-over-par 79 on the Wolves’ home course, Cedars at Dungeness in Sequim.
She then went on to shoot rounds of 81 and 79 to finish fifth at the Class 2A state tournament at Columbia Point Golf Course in Richland.
It was McMenamin’s third straight top-10 finish at state.
Sequim, with just two golfers, McMenamin and sophomore Sarah Shea, finished fourth as a team at state.
McMenamin also has been picked as the All-Peninsula Girls Golf MVP for the third straight season by area coaches and the Peninsula Daily News sports staff.
McMenamin was low-key when asked where she found room to improve as a junior.
“I’ve just been working on my irons a lot, honing them in, and practicing my short game a lot because that can always get better,” McMenamin said.
“For irons I usually set up stations to work on and set up cones to hit around to practice my aim.”
McMenamin, who admitted she has had troubles with iron shots leaking to the left, said she felt her iron play was more dialed in this season.
“I think they were a lot better,” McMenamin said.
“I mostly worked on accuracy because in previous years I’ve had problems with pulling the ball to the left.”
Staying true to her pre-shot ritual also has helped McMenamin re-focus after tough shots.
“It’s been really hard to forget about bad shots, but you have to know that every shot counts the same and to just move forward,” McMenamin said.
“I usually stand behind the ball, take my distance first, pick out the starting point and ending point, take two practice swings, put down the club face, line up, look at the target and hit it.”
She said her tee shots are the best aspect of her golf game — her accuracy helping set up her up for success on holes.
“It really holds up in tournaments,” McMenamin said
“It puts me in the middle and gives me a good start.”
McMenamin pointed to an outstanding round of 4-under-par 33 on the front nine at Cedars at Dungeness against Olympic as her personal highlight of the season.
“I was just really hitting the wedges close and not making any mistakes,” McMenamin said.
“And some putts were falling.”
She also enjoyed seeing Sequim win the league championship once again.
“Our team being undefeated was also really important to me,” McMenamin said.
“The last match against Klahowya everybody really had to step up and prove themselves and we won by one stroke.”
McMenamin also enjoyed playing during the season with Shea.
“It was really fun to play with Sarah and watching her improve so much this year and make state,” McMenamin said.
She has a busy slate of summer golf ahead of her, starting today with the Washington State Women’s Amateur at SunLand Golf & Country Club in Sequim.
“I’m playing in that one and four Washington State Junior Golf Association tournaments.
“Plus the Rocky Mountain Juniors.”
All the more practice for a player who constantly keeps improving.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at
mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
