Reminiscing about U.S. Girls' Junior Championship with Jamille (Jose) Lee
Jamille (Jose) Lee, one-time winner of the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, recently came to witness the ongoing U.S. Girls' Junior Championship with her girls.
This was trip down the memory lane for Jamille Lee, who used to play under the name of Jamille Jose. She won the 1988 edition of the event amongst much fanfare.
For Lee, there were two reasons behind the visit.
The first was to support a player from her club, Kathleen Scavo. The 14-year-old initially won her match but lost to Nicole Morales. The score of the match was 3 and 2 in Morales’s favour.
The second reason was more personal and closer to her heart. She wanted to show her girls what real golf is like. Lee also got a chance to show off her achievements to the girls.
As the club manager brought out the trophy, the girls saw their mother’s name inscribed alongside the greatest golf talents ever seen.
This was an emotional moment for Lee as she relived old memories of the time when she lifted that cup herself. She was just 15 years old.
Talking about her win, she said, “The great thing about being 15 is just that no-fear attitude. I don’t think I really understood the awesomeness of the whole experience, so I think that almost helped”.
Lee planned to play golf professionally. She did achieve her dream but the reality was very different from the amateur environment she was used to.
During her amateur career, she received a golf scholarship from the Stanford University. She made full use of the scholarship and received a degree in international relations. After graduation she worked in the banking sector but the appeal of golf proved
stronger.
She tried for a place on LPGA but things did not worked out. In an amazing move, she decided to switch careers and became a registered nurse.
Lee and her husband are now reinstated amateurs. They do compete in local events but according to Lee, their work life claims most of their time now.
This visit was an attempt to introduce the girls to the world of golf. Lee hopes that one of the girls will follow in her footsteps and maybe lift the trophy herself.
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