ASHLAND − Who doesn’t like surprises? That’s the thing about surprises, you never see them coming. When they do happen, there’s usually a ray of different emotions involved.
For Ashland’s Elleni Miller, the surprise of initially finding out during last week’s Division I district golf tournament at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green that she had qualified for next week’s state tournament was…let’s just say an overjoyed feeling.
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“So happy. Very grateful,” said Miller, before a practice session at Ashland Golf Club this week. “I even cried a little bit. Lots of high-fives and congratulations. Some people I don’t even know have come up to me and have congratulated me, which is very nice.”
So, was making the state tournament and becoming Ashland’s first state qualifying individual girls golfer since Klaira Paramore in 2021 a realistic possibility coming into the season?
“I thought there was a chance of me going pretty far but I did not know I was able to go to state,” Miller said. “It was very shocking. Even my grandparents were like, ‘Oh my gosh. Like wow.'”
If there’s anything that might be surprising to some, it’s the clear progress Miller made through her scoring in the postseason this year compared to last golf season. As a sophomore, Miller was tied for fifth overall at the sectional tournament in individual qualifying by shooting a 90, then at the district tournament she finished 36th overall with a score of 108.
Transition to her junior year this season, and you can say Miller made the leap.
At this year’s sectional tournament, Miller shot an 88 in individual qualifying, which was tied for seventh overall but even better was two shots lower than her 90 at sectionals the following year. Then at last week’s district tournament at Stone Ridge, she lowered her score by shooting an 82, six shots lower than at this year’s sectionals and a whopping 26 strokes lower than at last year’s districts − making her one of the two state individual qualifiers alongside Norwalk’s Kilee Duncan − that were not on a qualifying team to make state.
Miller points out that being familiar with Stone Ridge a third time around (she played there at districts during her freshman year) helped her know how to attack the golf course.
“Just knowing the course and having played it the previous two years,” she said. “It’s so nice to play a course you know. Warming up as well. You will say to yourself, ‘Oh yeah, these greens feel the same as last year or I need to chip the ball this far.’ It definitely helps.”
Ashland first-year coach Ryan Frazee mentions that how Miller played during the last five holes at districts were pivotal in her clinching a state berth.
“At the end of the tournament, Elleni finished one under par in the last five holes,” said Frazee, who says Miller’s mental game has been a major key in her success this season. “That was a real big step and needed to happen for her to get to the next level. Just playing the first 13 holes and knowing she had to really stick it for the last five holes to get her place in the state tournament.”
Ask Miller what’s been essential in her run to state and she signals the work she does with her golf coach, Chris Yoder, and her Arrows teammates that lift her up that include Kyah Huckleberry, Natalie Kohler, Haylee Bond and Chloe Crunkilton.
“Once or twice a month I go to Scioto Country Club (in Upper Arlington, Ohio) and I work with Chris Yoder (PGA Director of Youth Player Development at Scioto Country Club). He is very good at what he does,” Miller explained. “We go down, he watches me swing and we figure out what I need to work on. A lot of that has been driving and hitting the ball straight.”
The biggest boost in her game Miller says is her work on the greens.
“I’ve seen a big jump in putting,” Miller adds, who says she takes a serious approach to golf, but also likes to be loose on the course when it calls for it. “My putting has gotten a lot better. I’ve taken my time with it. We even have a putting mat at home that I use a couple times a week.”
As a team, Ashland were Ohio Cardinal Conference and Sectional champions − along with a fourth place finish at districts − and the group’s success has certainly rubbed off on Miller’s individual play.
“We have great team chemistry,” said Miller, who placed second individually (shot 69) and was a medalist at last month’s OCC tournament. “When you have a bad round, one of your teammates is there to pick you up. Sometimes when you pass each other on the course you wave at them. That’s one of the things that help you smile and can help your round.”
Now, the Division I state tournament on October 14-15 at NCR Country Club in Kettering awaits Miller, as her and Frazee hope to get an early look at the golf course during practice rounds the day before.
“Practice rounds are crucial and we will be able to see the layout of the course,” Frazee said. “Some golf courses are a lot positional where you have to play certain shots in certain areas in order to have success on holes. The chipping and putting around the greens is going to be very helpful, to see how the course reacts depending on the day.”
“I’ve never played there before. We’re going to look at Google Earth just to get the overview of the course,” said Miller. “The practice rounds are going to be so helpful. Green speed and which clubs to use.”
Who knows, just maybe Elleni Miller will be in for more surprises next week too.
jsimpson@gannnett.com
Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland’s Elleni Miller’s state golf berth was a joyful surprise
