In her first go around, Seneca freshman Piper Stenzel is the Times Girls Golfer of the Year

Seneca freshman Piper Stenzel says she has been playing golf nearly since she could hold a club or walk the fairways and greens.

She says playing with her father Kyle and older sister Rylee growing up not only helped teach her the game, but also helped her develop her love for the competition that comes with it.

“My whole family plays golf, so I started when I was really young,” Stenzel said. “My dad would take us out to golf a lot at Morris Country Club. I’ve always loved the game, and think as I got older I saw how good my sister was and it gave me motivation to work on getting better and to hopefully someday beat her. Rylee is in college now, but the three of us have some pretty competitive rounds in the summer.

“I love the competition of golf. I know during the season I’m competing against other girls, but really, I’m playing against the course. It’s a sport that you don’t have to rely on having anyone else with you to play. Good or bad, it’s all on you. I like that pressure.”

“It’s hard to put into words what that experience was like. It was amazing to see how good some of the girls were. I was nervous before we started, but I feel like once I hit my first shot that all kind of went away. I learned a lot those two days, and I’m determined to make it back.”

—  Piper Stenzel, Seneca freshman on playing at the 2023 IHSA Class 1A girls golf state finals

There was a lot of “Good” to Stenzel’s rookie season, starting with advancing to the IHSA Class 1A state finals and earning Seneca’s first-ever girls individual regional championship at the Class 1A St. Bede Regional with an 86 at Spring Creek Golf Course. Her title – the first Seneca individual regional championship since her dad did it in 1997 – also helped the team advance to sectionals for the third consecutive season.

In the opening round of the state finals at Red Tail Run in Decatur, Stenzel – the 2023 Times Girls Golfer of the Year – carded a 91 in the opening round and followed it up with a second-round 83 to finish 33rd of the 91 participants.

“It’s hard to put into words what that experience was like. It was amazing to see how good some of the girls were,” Stenzel said. “I was nervous before we started, but I feel like once I hit my first shot that all kind of went away.

“I learned a lot those two days, and I’m determined to make it back.”

Along with her dad’s accomplishments, Piper’s sister Rylee was a state qualifier and 2021 Times GGOY as a senior at Seneca and currently is a sophomore on the women’s golf team at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania.

“I really only felt like I needed to do well to help us as a team. I didn’t put any added pressure on myself,” said Stenzel, who helped led the Irish to a 15-0 regular season and T-CC championship. “Golf is such a mental game. Once I get myself into a bad mental state I don’t play very well. That happened to me at during the conference tournament. My front nine wasn’t good. But before teeing off on the 10th hole, I told myself ‘Just let it go and these next nine holes is a new start.’ My tee shot was right down the middle and my confidence was back to where it needs to be.”

Stenzel posted a 9-hole average of 45.95 over the season. She shot an 89 to win the Irish Invitational early in the season and finished runner-up by a stroke to Roanoke-Benson senior Addy Heineke with a 93 at the Tri-County Conference Tournament.

Seneca co-coaches Bryan Erickson and Todd Yegge said her accomplishments tell much of the story.

“I think Piper knew what the expectations for her were coming in as freshman, but she didn’t put any pressure on herself ... at least it didn’t show if she did,” Erickson said. “She had a great first season here at Seneca, and knowing her work ethic, I believe there are three more better ones to come.”

“We’ve had a number of really good girls golfers here at Seneca, but she the first one to win a regional championship. She earned it, but to do that as a freshman is pretty amazing,” Yegge said. “It came down to the last two holes, but she two-putted for par to wrap it up. As a coach, it was exciting to see her reach that goal.”

Stenzel feels her improvement in time on the green was a huge key to her successful season.

“I was most happy with my improvement over the season in my putting,” Stenzel said. “Midseason I got a new putter, one that was fitted for me at Bettinardi Golf. I think the combination of the new putter, and really just putting more time in on the practice green, gave me more confidence I was going to make the same putts I missed in the beginning of season at the end of the season.”