Golfer fights off wind to go back to state

Sophomore Hannah Andrews qualified for her second consecutive Class 3A state golf tournament, the latest on a diverse list of accomplishments.

Andrews, who is home-schooled, plays golf for Blaine. She participated in regional speech and debate competitions for home-schooled students and plays violin with Minnesota Youth Symphonies.

On the links, Andrews placed second at the Section 5 championships with a 9-over par 81 on a day when stiff winds played havoc with shots. Andrews adjusted her game and persevered.

"She's very analytical, and I think that helps her consistency," Bengals coach Bill Davids said. "She doesn't shoot big numbers."

Andrews spoke with Star Tribune reporter David La Vaque about surviving the section meet, the pressure to go back to state, as well as her varied interests.

Q I'm told the section match was an adventure weather-wise. How did you adapt your game and overcome the conditions?

A It was pretty windy out there. The front nine was bad, but I was expecting it to get better because there were more trees on the back nine. But it ended up getting even windier. On hole 17 it was playing about 100 yards, we all hit 130- to 140-yard clubs and we were still all 10 yards short of the green. It was pretty ridiculous. I guess I ended up just playing my shots low, nothing too high, trying to get the most roll out of my balls, especially on the drives.

A It started out that I was going to miss a week and a half already because my family decided the only time to take our vacation was during the season. Since my family is so important to me, I felt it was better to spend that time with them.

And then it turned out that my sister and I qualified for regionals in debate, something we worked really hard to do. So we decided to go. It only took three days off the season so it wasn't too major.

Q You also play violin. How long have you been playing?

A I started piano when I was in kindergarten and I started violin when I was in second grade. I've stuck with it and enjoyed it.

Q Your coach said your father played golf at The Citadel and passed the game down to you and your siblings.

Q Do you have any aspirations to play golf in college?

A I would love to play golf in college. I'm kind of looking into it right now. I probably wouldn't pick that as my highest priority in college but I would love to play.

Q Your coach said you had jitters as a freshman, but that has been replaced by pressure.

A Yeah, last year I went into sections thinking, "I'm a ninth-grader. I don't have to do anything because no one is expecting anything." This year, I felt the pressure of having gone to state before and I really wanted to go again. So I'm glad to be going back.