Girls golf: Lakes' Sosonowski savors the experience of carding a hole-in-one

Lakes junior girls golfer McKenna Sosonowski accomplished what many in the sport never get to experience.

Sosonowski recorded a hole-in-one this past weekend at the District 117 invitational held at Spring Valley Country Club in Salem, Wis.

That ace helped her win the individual title at the 15-team, 80-plus golfer event. Sosonowski shot 75, a single shot better than Mundelein's Natalie Altenhoff. Her efforts also helped Lakes to a fourth-place showing in the field.

Sosonowski hit the jackpot on the par-3, 137-yard seventh hole at Spring Valley. Her tee shot hit the front edge of the green and rolled about 15-20 feet into the cup, she said.

"It was amazing and fun," she said. "When I went up to the tee box not thinking I would get a hole-in-one."

Sosonowski said she had to deal with the windy conditions that day. She used a 9-iron off the tee.

"I was on the edge of my seat after I shot it," she said. "It was reachable but I wasn't thinking it was going to happen. When I hit it, it was looking pretty good. I watched the flight of it and saw it hit the green. As it rolled more toward the hole I thought it actually could happen. I saw it roll in."

It was Sosonowski's first hole-in-one of her career and the 75 scorecard was her career low in any type of 18-hole competition.

"Everything was clicking that day," she said. "I hadn't been feeling the most confident about my drives, but my drives felt good. They clicked when I needed it. They were straight and long."

Included in the 75 were 4-5 birdies, Sosonowski said, plus plenty of pars. It was her first high school top podium finish.

Sosonowski kept plenty busy in the offseason, playing in a pair of IJGA tournaments and playing local courses with her father.

"I have seen improvement in several parts of my game, definitely my putting and my short game," she said.

Sosonowski also is excited for the progress the Eagles have made thus far.

"I want to keep bonding with the team and keep playing well," she said. "Our team definitely has some very strong players. The seniors are great and are strong leaders. The sophomores and juniors on the team are playing well and the freshmen coming out are strong. Everybody all around is playing really well. We are having a great time."