Makena Myatt is no stranger when it comes to golfing in high-pressure situations. She managed to turn heads last year, as a seventh grader, by competing at the state level and this year has been more of the same.
Earlier this fall, Myatt won the Kentucky 2A regional at Wasioto Winds in Pineville, and she and her teammates – Kalyn Watkins, Hannah Perry, Addison Bonham and Mackenzie Hutton – qualified to play in the 2A state championship meet in Owensboro.
Just a few weeks ago, Myatt played well enough in the “big” regional meet at London Country Club to advance to this year’s Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Championships. She was the only golfer in the coverage area, girls or boys, to make it to state.
“I wish that we could have made it as a team,” Myatt said of the recent KHSAA State Championships. “We were close, but we just all weren’t playing our best. I am glad that I was able to make it and represent Corbin, though.”
Myatt competed at Eagles Nest Golf Course in Somerset in the first round of state competition. Unfortunately, she was unable to advance to the next round of play in Bowling Green, explaining that less-than-desirable weather conditions made things a little tougher than expected.
“It rained for the first hour,” Myatt said of her day at Eagles Nest. “Things improved as the day went on, but the course was playing a lot longer, which made it more difficult.”
All-in-all, Myatt was pleased with how things went at the varsity level for her and her teammates this season, saying, “It was a good season. We won a lot, and got to play in a lot of matches and tournaments. I had some good rounds and some not-so-great rounds, but as a team I feel like we got better throughout the season.”
This week, Myatt will have one final opportunity to secure a state championship title when she travels to Henry County to play in the Kentucky state middle school championship tournament. She qualified for the competition after finishing runner-up at the regional tournament, held in Winchester earlier this season.
“There will be middle school golfers from all across Kentucky,” Myatt said of the event, which is scheduled to be held this Friday, Oct. 18. “There will be some good competition, including girls from Lexington and Louisville, but I feel like I will be able to play well because that course is very similar to London Country Club, which is our home course.”
After this week’s middle school state championships, Myatt will continue to train and play in the offseason in preparation for her freshman year campaign in the fall of 2025.
