Girls golf: Geneva's Clark off to quick start

Reese Clark wasted little time jump-starting her girls golf campaign.

A Geneva senior, Clark is already coloring her scorecard with a red pencil after earning medalist honors at the 16-team season-opening Plainfield North Invitational with a 1-under 70 Thursday in Yorkville.

Then again, Clark is ranked among the top prospects in the state, according to the website juniorgolfscoreboard.com.

Clark is the only player in the entire coverage area who played at the last IHSA state golf tournament, the 2019 finals.

Clark has decidedly ambivalent memories of her final two rounds as a sophomore.

Geneva was making its first team appearance in program history, only to miss the highly controversial team cut by a shot to state power New Trier.

"But I made the (individual) cut," said Clark, who fired rounds of 79 and 82 to finish in the top 45. "I don't know why they have that policy. State is really nerve-wracking. All the players are worried about getting cut. I feel like everybody hates the cut."

Like many returning players, Clark feels like the prep landscape has undergone a renaissance as the traditional schedule - conference dual matches punctuated by big-time weekend invitationals and a full state series - returns close to normal from the pandemic-imposed contingencies of last fall.

Jordan Zimberoff is in his second year as the Vikings' coach; he is convinced Clark is ready to elevate her game to another level.

"Reese is really good at staying focused," Zimberoff said. "She is able to get back into playing good golf."

In a sport in which red, white and yellow stakes and lines are never advisable to cross, Clark seeks to epitomize its virtues.

"Golf is already a game of character," Clark said. "A lot of it has to do with attitude and personality. I try to not let golf affect how my play dictates my life."

The DuKane Conference figures to be a barn-burner this fall.

Geneva will depend heavily upon Clark, especially after two would-be senior classmates from the Vikings' state crew unexpectedly departed the program.

"We kind of thought we had something to build on," Clark said of the 2019 season.

But Clark has certainly caught the eye of her opposing league coaches.

"I don't have enough good things to say about (Clark)," Wheaton North coach Karen Calabrese said. "She is such a talented player and a great kid. It's fun to watch her play."

"She seems to be so even-keeled," Lake Park coach Jeff Henrikson added.

Clark considers her ball-striking to be a personal strength but is wise enough to realize far more strokes are saved - or lost - around the greens.

"My putting and par saves are pretty good," Clark said.

All the physical assets imaginable in the sport, however, can invariably play second fiddle to the inherent mental aspects in golf.

"The hardest thing in golf is the confidence aspect when you are playing badly," Clark said.

Clark has verbally committed to the next level and will make her announcement shortly.