Bailey Davis made a name for herself last week, both on and off the golf course.
And it’s a name you should get familiar with.
Playing in her home state, the White Plains, Maryland, native made a run to the final match of the 72nd U.S. Girls’ Junior, where she hoped to become the first Black American female to win a USGA championship. Even though she ultimately lost in a hard-fought match to the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, Rose Zhang, Davis’ efforts to diversify golf will hopefully have a ripple effect for years to come.
Before the tournament Davis didn’t have visions of grandeur where she emerged victorious holding the trophy with her signature smile from ear-to-ear. The incoming freshman at Tennessee even joked that whenever Zhang shows up to a tournament, everyone else is playing for second.
“But I think as I‘ve grown with my game and I’ve played against high-level competition like (Zhang), it’s really given me the confidence to say I can go out there and compete against her and I can do well,” said Davis.
How’s that for foreshadowing?
“I really want to be able to win championships, and I want to be able to do well in college and then possibly play professionally after that,” Davis continued. “Because then I want girls to be able to look at me and say, ‘Hey, she kind of looks like me, you know? Maybe I can do it as well.’
“If young girls are looking at the tournaments right now or they’re looking at the college teams, they’re saying to themselves, ‘There’s not a lot of people who look like me, so maybe this sport isn’t for me.’ But I want to be able to be that person who can inspire others to possibly want to get into the game.”
Objective complete.
Davis said her social media has been “insane,” and based on the responses, she’s made an impact on quite a few girls. In fact, after her 1-up semifinal win against Katie Li, Davis was so overwhelmed she started crying (good tears, of course).
Amazing run for @baileyyydavis at the #USGirlsJunior!
The incoming freshman for @Vol_WGolf notched a runner-up finish at the event 🍊
pic.twitter.com/eMH127HftG— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) July 18, 2021
Then came the final match. Davis scouted Zhang’s scorecards from previous matches and rounds and knew she would need to make birdies if she had any shot, but birdies were few and far between at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Only two players finished under par during two rounds of stroke play. Davis finished third as the lone player at even par. In the 36-hole final match, she again found herself at even on her scorecard after the morning 18. Given stroke play scores, you’d think she would have been in good shape for the afternoon.
Except her opponent was Zhang, who set the course record at 8-under 62 in the second round to earn medalist honors. The Stanford-bound freshman opened the morning with a bogey-free 6-under 64 (with match-play concessions) and went to the lunch break with a 4-up lead. After a three-hour weather delay in the afternoon, Zhang closed out the match, 6 and 4.
“I kind of surprised myself getting to this point, but at the same time, I knew what I was capable of, and it feels amazing to have reached that and been able to play to my potential this week,” said Davis after the final. “I played a great match today, but Rose just played better. We just take from this experience and learn for the next.”
The records won’t show Davis as the winner. Instead they’ll show her smiling with her chin up despite defeat and accepting the challenge to improve.
Talk about a role model.
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