Every Junior golfer has one goal in mind during the course of their competitive career, to play college golf. For the 94th Women’s Amateur Champion, Chloe Kovelesky, her dream was turned into a reality this January, seven months ahead of schedule. Kovelesky enrolled at Wake Forest University this spring after an incredible junior career that saw her qualify for the US Women’s Open at 14 years old and the US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at 10 years old. In 2023, after the aforementioned win at the 94th Women’s Amateur Championship, Chloe was named the 2023 Girls’ Junior Player of the Year.
Now in college, the biggest change has been managing her time and the school work that comes with being a student athlete. As a Junior, Chloe was home-schooled and the transition to in-person classes has been one she is learning to manage. “I always try to get ahead in everything”, says Chloe as she manages time at her new home in North Carolina while traveling with the team each event.
Chloe has done a great job managing her time and practice in her first semester at Wake Forest. In her first event with the Demon Deacons, Chloe captured the Lady Bulldog Invitational as an individual on her 18th birthday. Kovelesky credits the belief and confidence she gained from her coaches as the reason she has been able to play so well in her first semester. “Coach Kim (Lewellen) and Coach Ryan (Potter) made it clear that they had a lot of confidence in me and to be able to see that from someone else gave me even more confidence in myself”, Chloe remarked. She goes on to say how incredible her teammates have been as well, “our team is always just rooting for each other and it’s such a nice environment to be in”.
With Wake Forest ranked #9 in the country, according to Clippd, Kovelesky has found herself in big-time events early on against some of the top college programs in the country. This was evident at the Moon Golf Invitational in February where 8 of the top 15 teams in the country competed over 54 holes. A home game of sorts, the event was contested here in Florida at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne. Kovelesky had plenty of support during the week with her dad in attendance along with Junior players she grew up with. After that event, Chloe was discussing with her dad how “these are the best players in college golf and the world”. With a tie for 6th finish she went on to say, “knowing that I can compete with them and that I’m one of them” was very important early in her college career.
Chloe’s not the only FJT alumni enrolled early at a Top 10 school in the country. Layla Pedrique has made her way to Florida State University and contributed to the #3 team in the country in her first semester. Kovelesky and Pedrique were even matched up against each other in the Old Barnwell Derby Match Play. “When we walked down the first fairway we looked at each other and just laughed, like ‘oh my gosh’, it was really cool we both would end up coming early and then somehow we’re playing against each other.” In the match, Kovelesky would win 1-up on the 18th hole. “There’s a lot of people in the next four years that I’ll play with that I’ve grown up with and I know that I’ll really enjoy that.”
A big focus for many young college golfers in the early stages of their career is getting into a practice routine. Chloe gives a nod to the new practice putting routine, “I didn’t have a set practice regiment and now I’ve started to have one.” That putting routine has surely paid off as Chloe has been in the Top-15 in her first four collegiate events. On top of that, she competed in the ACC Championship where the team advanced all the way to the finals. On the way to the finals, Chloe Kovelesky beat the #8 player in the WAGR world rankings, Megha Ganne, 2up by winning the final two holes.
For those looking to join Kovelesky in the collegiate ranks, her advice would be “enjoy the process. It really is a process whether it’s recruiting or leading up to signing or when you actually get here.” She references the ups and downs of golf, “there’s gonna be challenges, along your way there’s gonna be things that don’t go your way” but through all of it Chloe remarks she wants to “keep working hard and make progress as both a player and a person.”
It may just be four months into Chloe Kovelesky’s career in college, but she has made that progress that has led her to new heights in her game. We look forward to watching Chloe continue to play amongst the best in the world!
