Thirteen-year-old phenom Beau Ellington may still be five months shy of her 14th birthday and just heading into 8th grade this fall, but she put a “BOW” on her Arizona State Junior Girls Title with a stellar final round that set her apart from the high school competition. Today’s Junior Golfer caught up with Beau shortly after her impressive victory.
TJG: Beau, Congratulations on your big win! Twenty-eight of the top junior girl golfers in Arizona had to qualify and then battled it out over three days for the JGAA Arizona State Junior Title. How does it feel to come out on top?
Beau: Thank you so much! It was a great battle against many elite players in the field. As I am often the youngest, my goal is always to just try to make the medal stand. I recently moved up to the championship flight in JGAA and have placed 2nd in 3 tournaments so finally getting the win feels great!
TJG: The tournament was held at Paradise Valley Country Club. How did the course play, and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
Beau: The course played very challenging. The green speed was 12 and the course is loaded with fairway and green side bunkers. I was in over 20 bunkers in my 3 rounds. Yikes!! Thank goodness I like the beach, otherwise I don’t think I would have secured this win.
TJG: Temperatures soared— averaging over 113°F each day. How did you stay focused and manage the extreme heat throughout the tournament?
Beau: I am so used to training hard in the heat that it doesn’t really bother me. The final round I actually woke up with a terrible stomachache and almost withdrew. I didn’t start feeling better until hole 12. I had no appetite and just tried to stay hydrated and used my cool towel. Luckily, I also have a pretty high pain tolerance so there was no way I was going to WD after already playing 2 rounds and being paired with the leaders. I was going to do everything possible to just get through the 18 holes the best I could.
TJG: Your final-round 68 (-4) with a clean card clinched the win. What was your mindset and game plan heading into that final round in the lead group?
Beau: Well, I haven’t had a bogey free scorecard in a long time so that felt so great! My game plan going into the final round was to stay focused, play smart and try to not get into as many bunkers as rounds 1 and 2. I always tell myself that I’m going to have bad shots and maybe even a few 3 putts but that’s okay! It’s how I recover that matters the most. I set myself up with lower expectations sometimes so that way when things don’t go as planned, it doesn’t shake me...
TJG: You led the field with 14 birdies over three days. What was your approach and strategy that helped you score so consistently?
Beau: Well I had no idea that I even led in birdies! How I made that many birdies after being in so many bunkers is interesting. LOL! My goal is always to get at least 3 birdies every 9 holes so I guess I was close to meeting my goal. I have really worked hard on my approach shots within 100 yards so that seems to be paying off. My Bettinardi putter who I call “Betty” was also very good to me to this week. :)
TJG: You were the youngest player in the field at just 13 years old. Do you think about your age at all when you're competing against high school players?
Beau: I don't ever think about my age or really even my competitors. My goal is to just play my best, shake off bad shots and beat the course. The older players are always so sweet to me and I have met so many new friends by playing in the championship flight. I’m sure there are lots of younger players that can beat me so age really doesn’t matter...
TJG: For those who want to follow your journey, where can people find you on social media?
Beau: Instagram @beauellingtongolf
