Ainsley Winters to play golf at Southern Illinois University
By FRED KRONER
Baseball pitchers can throw no-hitters. Football quarterbacks can complete every pass they try in a game. Basketball players can make every shot they attempt in a game.
Perfection, though fleeting, can be achieved.
In golf, however, until someone figures out a way to score a hole-in-one on 18 consecutive holes, there is always room for improvement.
That challenge is one of the reasons that Mahomet-Seymour senior Ainsley Winters developed such a passion for the game.
She took up the sport as a sixth-grader.
“The first year that I played, I learned a lot about the fundamentals, rules, and what the different clubs were used for,” Winters said. “In the first couple years that I played, I was not very good, but I kept going because there were so many new things that I kept learning about the game that kept me interested.
“I also slowly fell in love with the game, which made me want to keep playing. I thought that I may want to pursue college golf during my freshman year of high school.”
That dream became a reality when Winters signed a letter of intent to continue her career at Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale.
Though she started contacting college coaches more than a year ago, she had a short courtship with SIU.
“My recruitment to SIU started when I emailed the coach and showed interest in being on their team,” Winters said. “I emailed them in September (of 2022) and got a response back the same day.
“We continued to stay in contact, and I was continually updating her on how my year was going.”
It was a senior season with many highlights.
She won a regional title (70) and followed up with a sectional crown (79) while leading the Bulldogs to their second consecutive Class 1A regional team championship. At state, she fired a 36-hole score of 164 and finished in a tie for 35th.
Winters played in 14 events as a senior, covering 22 nine-hole rounds, and had the Bulldogs’ best score in each event. Her nine-hole stroke average of 39.5 was nearly two strokes better than she ended with as a junior (41.4 for 20 rounds).
Winters visited four universities and had three scholarship offers by the time she settled on the Salukis.
Besides SIU, she looked into Black Hills State University (in Spearfish, S.D.), Kentucky Wesleyan (in Bowling Green, Ky.) and Millikin University (in Decatur).
“I chose SIU in the end because I thought I would have the most opportunities, best resources, and education experience,” Winters said.
Her journey to a college roster berth was an arduous process.
Winters was in her fourth year of playing golf when she entered Mahomet-Seymour High School as a freshman and decided she wanted to pursue golf indefinitely.
Her fall season with the Bulldogs as a ninth-grader went well, but there were complications by the time the spring season arrived in March, 2020.
“COVID started at the end of my freshman year, which limited all competitive golf for the rest of that year,” Winters said. “During my sophomore year, I had to be creative on how I practiced, and during that time, my dad and I went to Indiana when the courses here were closed.
“During my junior year, I played in a lot more competitive tournaments in the off season (including the Prep Tours) and I was able to continue to get my scores down.”
Winters was a two-time IHSA state qualifier. She was the regional champ as a junior (75) and placed ninth at sectionals (86) before securing a tie for 13th at state (153) in 2021.
Her sophomore postseason series was wiped out by COVID. As a freshman, Winters shot a 96 at regional and advanced to the sectional.
She rates her strength as the short game, and added, “my long game would probably be what needs the most work.”
She had no qualms about committing early as it seemed unlikely that additional offers would be forthcoming.
“With rosters already somewhat full, and scholarships reserved for fifth-year COVID athletes, I don’t feel like I will potentially miss other opportunities,” Winters said. “I contacted schools for over a year and felt I had heard from everyone interested.”
Though satisfied with the chance to compete beyond high school, Winters found the recruiting process to be confusing.
“I had some false-expectations about the type of schools that would want me, and we also thought that I would be recruited more highly,” Winters said. “I think COVID affected my recruiting more when it came to roster availability, and scholarship money.
“There were a lot of (college) seniors that took their fifth year, which affected the rosters, as well as the money coaches had available for new recruits.
“I also expected there to be more coaches at larger events and competitions, looking at recruits, which there weren’t. Overall, I think my recruitment process was great, and I made a lot of great connections with different coaching staffs.”
Winters plans on majoring in elementary education.
“In 10 years, I see myself teaching, as well as coaching golf,” she said.
She turned to golf after trying numerous other sports during her younger years.
Winters played basketball, volleyball and participated in track and field, but said, “I didn’t really see myself playing a sport in college at that point.”
Before she started focusing on golf as a freshman, she said, “I probably favored throwing (shot put and discus) for track over the other sports.
“Out of all the sports I have played, I feel that golf is the only sport where I can continue to work on my game for many years after I graduate college.
“I truly enjoy the game, so I am thankful it is one that I can play for a long time.”
She is unsure how she will fit into the SIU team as a freshman, but said, “I do know that I am comparable with the other new recruits that are coming in with me.
“I have not been told specific areas to work on, but I do know that myself and the other new recruits have been given basic workouts to get started on.”
She is confident that working in a college program will lend itself to continued progress.
“Having personalized workout routines from our athletic trainer and consistent conditioning will make me a stronger athlete,” Winters said. “Also, learning to play at a longer distance will greatly improve my game.”
Winters regards her signing ceremony at the high school as one of her career highlights to date.
“During my signing, I felt extremely happy, loved, and supported by everyone who was able to go,” she said. “I was glad that my friends, teammates, and family were able to be there for such an important moment in my life.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my parents (Amanda and Jeff Winters) did a great job putting it together and making it as perfect as it could have been for me.”
When she starts the transition to living on her own, Winters feels like the distance (approximately 210 miles) between Mahomet and Carbondale will be workable.
“I don’t think it (the distance) will make the transition any harder, because it is one of the closest schools that I looked at,” she said. “I feel that it is close enough to where I can come home on the weekends if I feel like it, but far enough to where no one can just drop by unannounced.
“I am close to my family members, but I think I will miss my dog the most.”
She expects to make connections at SIU which will help her to cope.
“I am very grateful to be playing golf at the collegiate level,” Winters added. “I am thankful that my hard work has paid off.
“I am looking forward to seeing where this new journey takes me, and I am excited to meet so many new people that will become my family for the next four years.”
