1-2 finish from BFFs Cam Baker, McKenzie Stevens help Northville girls golf win regional

Posted by Admin October 9, 2024 Golf

The Mustangs are headed back to the state finals thanks to stellar performances from their two freshmen, Cam Baker and McKenzie Stevens.

If Cam Baker and McKenzie Stevens are hugging, that means their rounds are over.

The third-ranked Northville girls golf team shot 319 to win the Division 1 regional on Tuesday at Polo Fields Golf and Country Club in Ann Arbor. The Mustangs bested second-place Ann Arbor Huron by 39 strokes.

They’ll compete in the state finals on Oct. 18-19 at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids.

Leading the way were their freshman phenom, Baker and Stevens, best friends who recorded a 1-2 finish.

Baker was the individual medalist, shooting a career-best 2-over-par 74. Stevens shot 79 to finish as the runner-up.

They’ve been crucial to their team’s success this fall, as the Mustangs also won the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship before entering the postseason.

Sure, they have plenty of talent in their lineup, including players with state finals experience in Naaz Gill and Sanya Singhal, who both carded 83s to tie for fifth individually to ensure the regional title.

Serena Ku shot 84 and tied for seventh, also helping in the win.

But with Baker and Stevens in Northville’s top three, the team goes as they go.

“It just feels great because it’s so fun, and I’m glad to do this with McKenzie and have a great team behind us,” Baker said. “It’s so exciting because this is a great start (to our careers) with us being so young.”

Surprisingly, Baker and Stevens did not grow up together despite how close they are now.

Baker attended middle school at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, while Stevens went to Hillside.

So they didn’t meet until they started competing against each other at local golf tournaments. They’d often be paired together or compete in the same flights because of how similar they are in skill.

Eventually, a friendship blossomed.

But what brought them closer was their mutual friend, Alex, who lives next door to Baker and was also one of Stevens’ closest friends at Hillside.

They’ve been inseparable over the past two years.

“I’ve played with McKenzie a lot, so I knew we’d be good (entering high school),” Baker said. “We’d knew we’d be good on varsity playing together, so I was excited for it.”

More: No. 2 Northville girls golf relying on 3 underclassmen to get back to states

Of course, being close friends isn’t exactly a skill that makes you great on the course.

They both come from remarkable bloodlines. Baker’s parents played collegiately, and her father, Casey, is the current chief operating officer for well-known golf retailer Carl’s Golfland. Stevens’ father also played at the next level.

So they picked up clubs at a young age and entered tournaments shortly after.

“My dad golfs a lot, and he’s really, really good,” Stevens said. “I wouldn’t be into golf if he didn’t golf. I never would’ve started. But now that we can golf together, we have fun with it, and it’s a great time.”

Both Baker and Stevens started competing around 9-10 years old.

They spend almost every weekend in the summer at a tournament, mostly playing in local and regional competitions such as the Meijer-Calloway Tour and the Golf Association of Michigan events.

They’re yet to try their hand at national tournaments hosted by the American Junior Golf Association, but that’s OK because playing in Michigan has allowed them to hone their craft and develop a competitive edge.

“My parents got me into it when I was very young, and I’ve just golfed my whole life since then,” Baker said. “It takes a lot of work, and I’ve played in a lot of tournaments, too, but I love it. I’m just trying to make par, shoot better than the last time and hit good shots.”

Being two of the best freshmen in the state makes it easy on Northville’s coaches.

“There are really no challenges when coaching kids like that,” said coach Kate Schultz, whose Mustangs have qualified for the state finals each season since she took over the program three years ago. “Usually, players like them have their own swing coaches, so we’re not looking to change anything technical. We’re more about the mental part of the game, pepping them up when they have a bad hole or a bad putt, and that’s what we’re out there for. They’re the ones who make us coaches look good.”

Assistant Trish Murray would know all about that.

She was the coach when Schultz (née MacDonald) won an individual state championship for Northville in 2002 after shooting rounds of 75 and 72 for a two-day 147.

Understanding how to coach talented players like their freshmen is old news for her.

“Players like them, their course management skills are good,” said Murray, who was Northville’s first girls golf coach when the program started in 1991 but gave up being the head coach after retiring from Northville Public Schools in 2004. “It’s just really being there for them mentally or helping them make a couple of tweaks. Or explaining to them that there might be a lot of wind up on 13 or to not forget to split the fairway. But like the other ones, they’re coachable kids.”

It also helps that Baker and Stevens play fearlessly.

Their time at individual tournaments has taught them how to handle pressure.

But also having talented teammates keeps them even-keeled when they have an off day. If they have a rough round, they know someone such as Singhal or Gill will be there to carry the team.

“They’ve very much a team player,” Murray added. “All of them, really, are team players. They’re not out to win it themselves or to make themselves look good. They’re in it for the team, and it’s always about the team.”

More: Dominant Northville returns to top of KLAA girls golf

And they’re there for each other.

During the summer, Baker and Stevens will often compete alongside each other. But with Northville, they are always on separate holes and rarely bump into each other during a round.

That’s why it’s become a ritual for the two to find each other afterward and hug it out.

“We’re just both hoping the other does well,” Stevens said. “Our team wins a lot, so it’s just so fun knowing I have another freshman like me on the team to experience this with.”