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Off the Course: Kate Lillie
12/14/2018 10:24:00 AM | Women's Golf
With eight weeks remaining until the spring golf season, we'll be featuring Q&As with each Minnesota women's golfer. Next up is Kate Lillie, a sophomore from St. Charles, Ill. Kate is coming off of a very successful fall season, which saw her match her career best for round with a 71, as well as setting new career bests for tournament score, score to par, and tournament finish all at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown (76-71-72—219, +3). As a freshman, she competed in every tournament in the team lineup. She was a standout high school golfer, earning All-Upstate Eight Conference, All-Kane County and All-Area honors in each of her four seasons, along with qualifying for the state tournament every year.
Gopher Sports: You had a very strong fall season and managed new career bests in the last meet in Vegas. How did that feel and what aspects of your game did you work on the most to get there?
Kate Lillie: It felt really great to finish on a strong note. Leading up to the tournament I was really focusing on my approach shots with my short irons. Coach told us that the course was a little bit shorter so we were going to have to hit a lot of greens. That work really paid off as I hit the most greens in regulation during Vegas than I did at any other event.
GS: What are the biggest lessons you'll take from fall to spring?
KL: I think the biggest lesson that I am going to take from this fall into the spring is to focus on my own game and have trust in my own abilities. I was so focused on playing well for the team that I ended up putting too much pressure on myself. Being able to just let go and play my game is what I am really going to emphasize this spring. If I do that then I will be helping the team succeed.
GS: You and Jessica Lee, along with two of the team's newest signees, all hail from the state of Illinois. What does that mean to you and what do you think it says about the state of golf there?
KL: I think it is so exciting having so much of our team be from Illinois. The junior golf in Illinois is extremely strong and we have all been playing with each other for years. It has been great seeing my future teammates, Grace Curran and Emma Carpenter, develop into such strong players and now teammates. Growing up in the midwest and being able to compete for a Big Ten school is something to be very proud of.
GS: Now that you're two years in, reflecting on your decision to come to Minnesota, what were the biggest reasons?
KL: One of my biggest reasons for coming to Minnesota was because of Coach Redman. Having a head coach that has so much experience in collegiate and professional golf I felt extremely lucky. I knew that if decide to try to go pro after graduation having Coach Redman as my coach would give me an advantage. Besides Coach I really liked Minnesota as a school itself. I was always told that if you couldn't do your sport anymore and you could only be a normal student you need to be somewhere that would still make you happy. And Minnesota was that place. The wide variety of majors to choose from as well as the difficulty of the classes made it a good fit for me.
GS: What has been your favorite memory with the team so far?
I think my favorite memory with the team was our team retreat my freshman year. We did a bunch of different team bonding activities and then after the night was over we all hung out for hours in one of our hotel rooms. Hanging out in our pajamas, just talking and getting to know each other, I knew that I was making friends for life.
GS: What is one thing Gophers fans should know about you?
KL: I had never been to a hockey game before coming to Minnesota.
Gopher Sports: You had a very strong fall season and managed new career bests in the last meet in Vegas. How did that feel and what aspects of your game did you work on the most to get there?
Kate Lillie: It felt really great to finish on a strong note. Leading up to the tournament I was really focusing on my approach shots with my short irons. Coach told us that the course was a little bit shorter so we were going to have to hit a lot of greens. That work really paid off as I hit the most greens in regulation during Vegas than I did at any other event.
GS: What are the biggest lessons you'll take from fall to spring?
KL: I think the biggest lesson that I am going to take from this fall into the spring is to focus on my own game and have trust in my own abilities. I was so focused on playing well for the team that I ended up putting too much pressure on myself. Being able to just let go and play my game is what I am really going to emphasize this spring. If I do that then I will be helping the team succeed.
GS: You and Jessica Lee, along with two of the team's newest signees, all hail from the state of Illinois. What does that mean to you and what do you think it says about the state of golf there?
KL: I think it is so exciting having so much of our team be from Illinois. The junior golf in Illinois is extremely strong and we have all been playing with each other for years. It has been great seeing my future teammates, Grace Curran and Emma Carpenter, develop into such strong players and now teammates. Growing up in the midwest and being able to compete for a Big Ten school is something to be very proud of.
GS: Now that you're two years in, reflecting on your decision to come to Minnesota, what were the biggest reasons?
KL: One of my biggest reasons for coming to Minnesota was because of Coach Redman. Having a head coach that has so much experience in collegiate and professional golf I felt extremely lucky. I knew that if decide to try to go pro after graduation having Coach Redman as my coach would give me an advantage. Besides Coach I really liked Minnesota as a school itself. I was always told that if you couldn't do your sport anymore and you could only be a normal student you need to be somewhere that would still make you happy. And Minnesota was that place. The wide variety of majors to choose from as well as the difficulty of the classes made it a good fit for me.
GS: What has been your favorite memory with the team so far?
I think my favorite memory with the team was our team retreat my freshman year. We did a bunch of different team bonding activities and then after the night was over we all hung out for hours in one of our hotel rooms. Hanging out in our pajamas, just talking and getting to know each other, I knew that I was making friends for life.
GS: What is one thing Gophers fans should know about you?
KL: I had never been to a hockey game before coming to Minnesota.
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