GOLF | HAYLEE HARFORD | WARREN JFK

11“Then I got pretty serious with it,” she said.

As a 12-year-old, she qualified for an LPGA junior event — an unprecedented feat for her age — as was winning the Division II state tournament because she is just a freshman.

At the Ohio State University Gray Course, she shot rounds of 71 and 75 for a two-day of 146. The six-over par score was seven strokes better than the second place finisher, Annie Miller of Columbus Wellington.

Harford didn’t take the trip alone, though. She was joined by the rest of her Eagles (Kelsie Teaberry, Natalie Waldorf, Katie Giardina and Alina Baker) as they qualified as a team for the state match and finished third overall with a score of 731.

“Going as a team was a really big advantage for us because some of them have never been there before,” Harford said. “And, as a freshman, it was good to not go alone.”

There’s no offseason for Harford; she trains year-round whether it’s at the Golf Dome in Girard, in her own garage at home or in Myrtle Beach with a personal coach. She sacrificed years of playing soccer, softball and basketball to solely focus on golf. It was a tough decision, yet she leaves no regrets.

“The beauty of a golf course is just amazing,” she said. “You go out there and you have no distractions, you just limit yourself to the peacefulness and nothing else bothers you.”