Addy Douglas drives her way to the top of women’s golf

Freshman Addy Douglas poses for a photo on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. Douglas quickly established herself on the Lehigh women’s golf team this year, leading Lehigh in the Bucknell invitational on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15, 2019. (Shana Lichaw/B&W Staff)

It didn’t take long for freshman Addy Douglas to establish herself in the women’s golf scene. After only one month of playing for the Lehigh women’s golf team, Douglas is already equaling school records. 

Douglas tied the program record for lowest 54-hole score—held by former Lehigh golfer Reagan Jahn, ‘19—at Bucknell’s 2019 Invitational, from Sept. 14-15, after finishing 9-over par 219.

Douglas finished in second place at the invitational with a 75 in the final round, two behind first-place Shannon Gould of Navy. Lehigh placed fourth out of nine teams with a 304 final round score for a total of 910.

After shooting scores of 70 and 74 in the first two rounds, Douglas made par six times on the front nine, while bogeying the third, fifth and eighth holes. On the back-nine, she bogeyed the first three holes and finished the tournament with a birdie on 18. Douglas finished with a 75 on the day, 4-over par for the round.

Coach Mary-Kate Lynch said Douglas’s early collegiate successes can be attributed to her resolute shot decisions and her well-rounded abilities on the course.

“At the Bucknell invitational, Addy played so well because her golf swing is very simple, and she doesn’t miss the ball,” Lynch said. “Addy is rare because she really doesn’t have a weakness in her golf game. She is a very good putter, chipper and ball striker, which does not happen often.”

Douglas also had the advantage of growing up in the same household as another Patriot League golfer. Douglas said her father, who played at Fordham, was an avid golfer and was the source of her fascination with the game.

Although she had interests in other sports growing up, Douglas eventually set her sights on golf as she looked to compete in college.

“I fell in love with golf when my dad introduced me to the game,” Douglas said. “I loved volleyball as well, but I knew I wanted to play a collegiate sport, and I really knew I wanted to play D1, so I decided to focus on golf.”

While Douglas led Lehigh in the Bucknell Invitational, she said her teammates’ scores were not far behind. She said the players push each other to do their best.

Senior Minuette Laessig said the players benefit from the team’s small size. The women’s golf team only has seven members, allowing the players to develop close bonds and push one another to get better.

“I can see that Addy is going to be a good leader in the future,” Laessig said. “She’s a great golf player, but she’s so humble about it, which makes me like her even more. When she came on her official visit last year, we automatically knew that she would be a great fit for the team.” 

After tying one record, Douglas said her next goal is to set another record and to bring her average score down from her current 75.6 to a flat 75. 

“Addy has set her goals really high for herself,” Lynch said. “She knows she wants to win, and she’s going to work hard to get it. It has been really exciting for me as a coach to have someone as driven as Addy come onto the team as a freshman, and I know she has been really inspiring to the upperclassmen as well.”

With her skill and drive, Lynch said Douglas should strive to win a tournament and be named Patriot League Rookie of the Year. 

Douglas continued to impress in the Boston College Intercollegiate from Sept. 23-24, as she led the Mountain Hawks once again after finishing one over par 73. Douglas ended in 38th place at 234.

The Lehigh women’s golf team will play its next tournament at home in the Lehigh Invitational from Oct. 21-22.