East's Weatherly moves on from miscues

“I used to hit one bad shot, and that would lead to another bad shot, followed by another bad shot,” Weatherly said with a laugh. “I would just go down hill mentally. Now I try to find the positive in it.

“I try to think, ‘At least it’s not out of bounds or in the water. I can get it back on the fairway and still have a chance at par.’”

Just as Weatherly doesn’t want one bad shot to define her round, she doesn’t want one bad round to spoil her season or one bad tournament to define her career. With that in mind, Weatherly is looking to bounce back in a big way when she tees it up for the first time at a triangular with Cheyenne Central and Cheyenne South today at Airport Golf Course.

Weatherly fired an 87, and sat eighth after the first round of the 2019 4A state tournament at Bell Nob Golf Course in Gillette. The weather took a turn for the worse prior to the second round, especially the wind. Weatherly struggled to tame the elements, and finished the round at 102.

Her two-round total of 189 dropped her to 18th.

“State was so disappointing, but I have to remember that it’s just one tournament,” Weatherly said. “It’s the tournament that counts the most, but I’m not going to let it hold me back. I still have this season to look forward to.”

Weatherly has good reason to be optimistic.

Only one of her seven regular-season rounds last fall neared 100. That was a 99 at Rock Springs, which was the only tournament that saw her finish outside the top seven. Weatherly was third in Wheatland (186), fourth in Rawlins (183) and seventh in Casper (179).

East coach Paul Hartigan isn’t surprised to hear Weatherly say that her mental approach is the area where she has improved the most since her freshman season. Hartigan also has seen her change in that regard.

“Most of teams’ No. 1 players will go up to the tee box, put the tee in the ground, back away from the ball and picture their shot,” Hartigan said. “Michelle’s pre-shot routine was to stick the ball in the ground and hit it as quickly and as far as she could. She used to just grip it and rip it.

“She has slowed herself down, and that has really helped her improve. I saw that a lot during her first round at state. She could still get better at it, but she has come so far in that regard since her freshman year.”

Weatherly grew up playing golf. She started swinging plastic clubs shortly after she could walk. Her family has held a Cheyenne Country Club membership for as long as she can remember. She had regular lessons with Country Club pro Ken Krieger.

But there was a time she wasn’t sure she would continue playing the game.

“I think everybody has their ups and downs, where they love something and then they hate something,” Weatherly said. “There was a time I was super down on golf and thought I was done with it and didn’t want to play anymore.

“I look at myself in the mirror and thought, ‘You can’t just quit because you had one bad round, one bad tournament or one bad year.’”

Weatherly also eliminated negative influences, and surrounded herself with people who supported her playing golf. It helped her fall back in love with the game. She now tries to balance seriousness and a light-hearted attitude.

“My dad has always told me that the tightest fairway is the one between your ears,” Weatherly said. “If I get down on myself, that narrows the fairway even more. I can be my own worst enemy. I have to be positive to open the fairway.

“I am serious about golf, but I also like to have fun. I do better when I’m having fun. If I get too serious, my game gets away from me.”