RAYMORE, Mo. — When Addie Swan arrived at high school as a freshman, she had one goal in mind: win a state championship.
Now, four years later, the Raymore-Peculiar senior can say she accomplished exactly what she set out to do.
Watch: Hy-Vee Athlete of the Week: Ray-Pec senior golfer Addie Swan wins state title
“I look back to my freshman year and I'm like, I was a baby,” Swan said. “She had no clue what she was doing.”
But Swan never lost sight of the goal she set for herself.
“This has been the goal since freshman year,” she said.
Swan made it happen, shooting a two-day total of 138 to capture the Missouri Class 4 Girls Golf State Championship and cap her high school career with a historic victory.
“Addie being able to knock out the individual champion was unbelievable,” Ray-Pec girls golf coach John Plankers said.
Swan's state championship was the culmination of years of practice, preparation and hard work.
With a state title within reach, she knew she couldn't afford to get ahead of herself. Instead, she focused on her game and tried to block out the pressure until the final putt dropped.
“I really tried not to think about it until the final putt dropped just because golf is a crazy game and anything can happen,” Swan said. “I tried to just stay cool and play my game, and that's exactly what I did.”
Her approach paid off, delivering both a state championship and a place in Ray-Pec history.
Swan became the first individual girls golf state champion in school history, giving the program a milestone achievement to celebrate.
For Plankers, the victory reflected the work Swan had put in since her freshman season.
“It's been kind of a culmination from freshman year leading up to this,” Plankers said. “Nobody works harder than her. Just puts the time in, and it was fun to see the results reflect the process and the work she's put in.”
Much of Swan's success came from the hours and days she spent refining her game.
“A lot of putting,” she said. “A lot of time spent on that putting green.”
Those hours helped turn a freshman's ambitious goal into a state championship and an unforgettable finish to her high school career.
“I couldn't have asked for a better ending,” Swan said.
Although her high school golf career has come to an end, Swan isn't finished competing.
The state champion is headed to the University of Missouri to continue her golf career at the collegiate level.
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