AURORA – Brighton High School four-time state qualifier Jessie Joachim once again made her presence known at the state tournament last weekend at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

    Joachim has finished better and better every year. Her freshman year, she was 53rd overall at state (+47) and her sophomore year she finished 20th (+25). Last year she earned 15th place (+17), and this year she broke the Top 10, shooting 12 over par, good for eighth place overall.

    Somin Lee of Overland High School (even par) took home the top individual honor.

    “I’m really happy with the way I have improved over the last four years, especially my sophomore and junior year,” Joachim said. “I was hurt a lot my sophomore and junior year. So to do as well as I did, I was very pleased with my performance.”

    Joachim had a bad string of injuries in her time as a member of the Brighton golf team, including a stint that featured a bruised spine during her junior campaign. She was also banged up early this season but was able to battle through it.

    The last few weeks were her best. They included an even-par score (73) in her backyard at Riverdale Golf Course in part of the league championships.

    Making the state tournament for the fourth time in as many years, Joachim admits that she was not nervous – other than when she was teeing off on the first hole.

    After that, it became a battle with Mother Nature. Battling wind gusts of up to 60 mph at times, she shot 10 over par in the first round. Joachim finished with six bogeys and two double bogeys.

    Day two was much better, as she collected two birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey. The score of 2 over par was tied for the best overall score of the round.

    “The wind was really strong, and it really affected me mentally,” Joachim recalls. “I had a nice pep talk with my coach between rounds, and it made me feel better coming into play. By then, I was already used to the wind, so it didn’t really bother me as much.”

    Playing golf since the age of 12 has really paid off. This fall, Joachim will take her stellar 4.275 grade point average to Northern Arizona University, where she plans to major in engineering. She also intends to play golf at the next level as well.