Michigan Golf Journal March 2020

Going to Augusta trends – she doesn’t follow them. It was that same summer of 2013, just a month after completing 8 th grade in homeschool, that she verbally committed to play her collegiate golf at Michigan State. Then she earned the credits and test scores to finish high school early and enroll at MSU in January of 2017, which meant sacrificing the first half of NCAA golf season eligibility. The fact someone this talented didn’t pick a southern school is also another non-norm. The Brighton native was voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year based on that first half-a-season, made the All-Big Ten First Team and placed fourth in the Big Ten Tournament. And at the end of the same half-freshman season, the Meijer LPGA Classic came calling and invited her to be an exemption in the LPGA Tour event, the first of three times. On a personal level, she also got married just a week before she turned 20 years old. “I’m kind of used to people reacting with how they expect the timeline of what people’s life should look like,” Geer-Park said. “Everyone has an idea at what stages in your life you should be doing certain things, and for me I just try to be true to who I am and do things within the time I think is best for me. “I got the same reaction when I told people I was home-schooled, or when I was graduating early and going to college right away. I think getting married young, that I was prepared for that (reaction). But I’ve always been confident in my decisions so that’s made things easier. I don’t (hear) people saying I’m crazy, but they are often curious... everyone’s journey doesn’t have to look the same.” Other Geer-Park career highlights include: • 2016 Golf Association of Michigan Women’s Player of the Year, after winning the 2015 and 2016 Michigan State Amateur Championships, becoming the youngest to do so. • Was the only amateur to make the cut at the 2016 Symetra Tour-Tullymore Classic where she finished 1-over-par. • Led MSU with a 73.24 scoring average last season, which ranked Continues on page 11 >>