Bishop keeps it positive to reach first state golf meet

A growth mindset, focusing on short game helped her to a top-10 finish at sections

St. Louis Park sophomore golfer Kayleigh Bishop wrapped up the brief spring high school golf season at the state meet in Coon Rapids June 11-12.

With rounds of 85 and 80 on the par-72 Bunker Hills Golf Course, Bishop tied for 41st place with 165, six strokes outside of a top-20 finish.

Bishop turned in three birdies over the two days, including a pair of fours on the 405-yard Par-5 Hole 4 each day.

She added a birdie on the 312-yard Par-4 Hole 13 on the final nine holes of the tournament.

Bishop was at 1-over par through the opening eight holes of the tournament, turning in five pars en route to a 39.

Lining up her opening drive off the tee, Bishop said she was trying to tune out all of the distractions that come along with her first state round in front of the largest crowd, with many friends and family in the gallery.

“I was trying to treat it like any other golf round,” she said. “A big thing for me is standing over the ball with confidence and not letting internal thoughts of doubt interrupt my swing.”

She added only three pars on the back nine holes, finishing with a 46, which gave her an opening round 85 to grab a share of 49th place.

She rebounded with seven pars on the second day while posting the 26th-best score of 80. Bishop carded a 40 off the front and another 40 on the back. She was only seven strokes off a top-five round, showing her potential that shined on the course all season.

Leading up to the season, Bishop focused on her shots from 90 yards, which were not in full swing. “Knowing that most shots you take during a golf round surround the green, trying to get more in touch with my chipping and putting is very important.”

Among her highlights of the season, qualifying for state was at the top of the list regarding on-course moments “because that is something I have been striving to earn all year, and I feel I have practiced very hard to get there.”

In the Section 6AAA meet, Bishop was only the second non-Edina or Wayzata golfer on the leaderboard with a ninth-place finish.

Staying with her plan at sections was vital. “Our team had an opportunity to go out and play some practice rounds,” Bishop said. “When I played those rounds, I wrote notes in my notebook about how I wanted to play each hole – what club to hit off the tee, where my miss is, etc. Then, when I played in sections, the goal was to execute my plans and have trust in my ability.”

She carded a two-round 169 (82-87) to lead the Orioles, which finished seventh, two places away from playing on the second day at The Meadows at Mystic Lakes on May 28-29.

Bishop posted the fifth-best opening-round score with a 10-over par 82, five strokes behind Benilde-St—Margaret’s Alyssa Raghuveer. Bishop birdied the 93-yard Par-3 17th hole.

She was ninth in the second round with a 15-over 87, 17 shots behind Raghuveer’s winning total (2-under 70).

One week earlier, Bishop guided Park to a seventh-place team finish at a Metro West Conference meet and 11th place overall with a 90.

She was seventh at a Metro West Conference meet at New Prague Golf Club on May 1, carding a 9-hole score of 42 and 4 strokes off the winning score of 38 by Chaska’s Avery Nelson.

While spending so much time on the course, Bishop noted the bond that formed with her own Park teammates and golfers from other teams.

“Practicing with them daily and supporting each other through it all has been so important,” Bishop said. “I also consider the friendships I’ve made with girls from other schools to be a major highlight of my season because there are some nice and amazing golfers I have been lucky enough to meet this year.”

What Bishop enjoys the most about golf is how it forces you to think with a growth mindset. “The mental game of golf is super important because if you start to feel down on yourself, it is almost impossible to play good golf. Golf has shown me how crucial it is to be positive, and that translates so much outside of the course.”

Bishop plans to continue to play throughout the season at various junior events, building on her prep season success.