2023 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year: Prairie Ridge’s Jenna Albanese

Prairie Ridge’s Jenna Albanese saved her best golf for when it mattered most.

The Wolves’ standout junior, who missed the state cut by three shots as a sophomore, admitted she struggled to find consistency throughout the regular season, but once the postseason came around, Albanese found her groove.

At the Class 2A Burlington Sectional at Whisper Creek in Huntley, Albanese grabbed one of the final two state-qualifying spots with a 77, becoming the first individual girls golfer from Prairie Ridge to qualify for the state tournament since 2004.

Albanese adopted an aggressive mindset, which allowed her to break through at arguably the state’s toughest sectional.

It was all or nothing.

“I couldn’t play it safe,” Albanese said. “I knew if I wanted to go to state, I had to go for everything.”

Albanese’s strategy paid off, as she was the only local golfer to advance to the Class 2A state tournament. In her state debut, Albanese tied for 40th overall with a two-day score of 83-79-162 at Hickory Point in Decatur, finishing a memorable season.

Earlier in the season, she captured her first Fox Valley Conference Tournament individual championship, knocking in four birdies and posting a 77 to top McHenry senior Madison Donovan by a shot for the FVC title.

For her breakthrough year, Albanese was voted the 2023 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Albanese is the first golfer from Prairie Ridge to win the award since Delainey Peterson in 2012.

Albanese spoke with sports writer Alex Kantecki about her first state experience, competing against Illinois’ best golfers, her maltipoo Gus and more.

What are you most proud about this season?

Albanese: I’m most proud about making it to state because going into my season, that was my overall goal.

What was the best part about playing at the state tournament?

Albanese: Seeing all the competition at state. It was nice to get to know new people. There were a lot of good golfers. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, but going into the second day, I was a lot more comfortable.

What did you take away from your first state experience?

Albanese: I realized that the course at state plays much longer than most courses around here, so I’m really going to work on dialing in my longer clubs. That definitely was a big difference at state.

What is your favorite golf course?

Albanese: Pinecrest [in Huntley]. I like how it’s pretty open, and I’ve played there so many times that I know the course pretty well. It’s a nice course, and they do a good job taking care of it.

What course would you most like to play?

Albanese: Pebble Beach.

How did you get your start in golf?

Albanese: I used to golf when I was younger, when I was around 5. I stopped golfing for awhile and in middle school I went out golfing for fun with friends, and that’s when I realized I liked it. Prior to that, I really only played teams sports, and I kind of liked how [golf] was more individual.

What is your favorite movie?

Albanese: “Hannah Montana.”

What type of music are you into?

Albanese: Right now I’m really into Taylor Swift.

If you could change one thing about golf, what would it be?

Albanese: It would make the game much easier, but if you could have one re-hit per hole. Like if you had a bad drive, you could just quickly tee up another.

What’s the nicest Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

Albanese: Probably when I was in fifth grade and got my first iPhone.

Who on your team makes you laugh the most?

Albanese: There’s probably three people who really make me laugh the most: Grace Mertel, Ella Giffin and Jaeda Gunter. I think it’s because we hang out a little bit outside of golf, too, so we just have really strong relationships, and we have so much fun.

Who on your team inspires you?

Albanese: I’d say Grace Mertel because her and I golf together in all of our matches. I try to be positive and help her when she’s not playing well, and she does that for me, too.

What would be your dream job?

Albanese: An anesthesiologist.

What is your most prized possession?

Albanese: My most prized possession is probably my dog. He’s a maltipoo. His name is Gus.

What sports moment was so huge that you’ll always remember where you were when it happened?

Albanese: When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. I was at home with my family, but my grandpa is a really huge Cubs fan. He’s always wanted to see the Cubs win the World Series, so when that happened he called us, and he was so happy.

What are you looking forward to most about your senior year?

Albanese: I’m looking forward most to seeing improvement in my game. I plan on putting in a lot of work into my game over the winter to get even better, so hopefully I can maybe do a little better than I did this year at state.