Elle Krill is major contributor for Brighton golf after being left off 2023 state lineup

BRIGHTON — When Elle Krill was unable to compete in her preferred sport in high school, she fell back on one with which she was familiar.

Krill said she’s been around golf her entire life, but the Brighton junior didn’t take it seriously until swimming was no longer an option.

“I was going to swim in high school,” she said. “Then I had a shoulder injury, so I couldn’t. I thought I would just do golf and really got into it.”

Plan B is working out quite well for Krill, who is now a key contributor for the Bulldogs after being left off the postseason lineup of a veteran team that finished second in the state Division 1 tournament last fall.

Krill shot 85 to tie for eighth place in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association preseason tournament Thursday at Kensington Metropark Golf Course.

She had the lowest round by any of Livingston County’s 18 players, leading Brighton to a second-place finish with a score of 345. Northville had five of the top six golfers to win with a 312.

Krill played in both KLAA tournaments last season as Brighton’s sixth golfer. The problem come postseason time is teams are allowed only five golfers.

There was little room to crack the lineup on a team led by three seniors who made all-state and were county Golfers of the Year during their careers.

Still, it was a great learning experience for Krill, who knew her time was coming.

“It was really hard,” she said. “We had a really, really good team. I was glad I got to be part of it, but I definitely wanted to be playing in it.

“I learned everyone has on and off days all the time. You’re not always going to be shooting in the 70s. Everyone has off days.”

Being near the top of the team's lineup is an entirely different dynamic for Krill. The Bulldogs never had to use her scores when she was the sixth player last year, but now she's counted on to shoot low.

"I feel a lot more pressure, especially if I'm having an off day and everyone else is, too," she said. "I feel a lot more pressure, because I feel I need to have a good day just to even things out."

While pursuing a state championship with a loaded team last season, Brighton coach Paul Parsell made sure to look to the future by having Krill and other younger players around for the regional and state finals.

Senior Sydney Rauh is the only returning player from the postseason lineup.

“(Krill) and Charlotte Morley were two players who were sophomores last year who didn’t get into the lineup, because we were so deep,” Parsell said. “On most teams throughout the area and most teams throughout the state, they’d be playing on the varsity last year as sophomores. I knew they would be a big part of our program this year.”

It was the third 18-hole round in three days for the Bulldogs, who played in the Lober Classic near Traverse City Tuesday and Wednesday. Krill shot 89 and 88 to tie for 20th out of 114 golfers.

“I feel like I’ve been a little off compared to my last tournaments throughout the summer, but I don’t think I should have any problem getting back,” she said.

Brighton’s four scoring golfers were within two strokes of one another. Lubowicki shot 86, while Rauh and sophomore Kaila Oprisiu shot 87s.

“There are a lot of opportunities for the younger players here, for sure,” Parsell said. “That bodes well for the future. I’m excited for that. We have somebody like Elizabeth Lubowicki coming in who never really sniffed the lineup last year because we were so deep. Now she’s a senior and got in and had one of our better scores today.”

Hartland finished fifth out of 12 complete teams with a 413 and Howell was eighth with a 454.

Howell junior Brooke Keller tied for 11th with an 87. Hartland freshman Payton Rohrhoff was 14th with an 88.

KLAA preseason girls golf

Team scoring

1. Northville 312; 2. Brighton 345; 3. Novi 377; 4. Plymouth 397; 5. Hartland 413; 6. Livonia Stevenson 441; 7. Livonia Churchill 453; 8. Howell 454. 9. Salem 479; 10. Canton 494; 11. Livonia Franklin 495; 12. Wayne Memorial 609.

Top individuals

McKenzie Stevens, Northville, 75

Sanya Singhal, Northville, 77

Serena Ku, Northville, 80

Naaz Gill, Northville, 80

Annie Flavin, Plymouth, 80

Cam Baker, Northville, 81

Brooke Reskovsky, Salem, 84

Calyssa Post, Dearborn, 85

Elle Krill, Brighton, 85

Elizabeth Lubowicki, Brighton, 86

Brooke Keller, Howell, 87

Kaila Oprisiu, Brighton, 87

Sydney Rauh, Brighton, 87

Payton Rohrhoff, Hartland, 88

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Elle Krill is major contributor for Brighton golf after being left off 2023 state lineup