Kennedy MacCleery first got introduced to golf by her older sister Elsie. When they were younger, they used to do golf camps in the summer together. ”We used to do a tennis camp right after, and we used the tennis practice golf clubs the whole time. So we were like, maybe we’ll do another golf camp,” she said. When MacCleery was ten, she participated in her first event, the Farmington Country Club Junior Club Championship. In the nine-hole tournament, she and a competitor tied for first, leading to a scorecard playoff which MacCleery lost. “I was really mad about it. So I spent the whole year working, and the next year I came back and I won it by like ten strokes.” That tournament turned a summer passion into a full time commitment.
As a freshman, she garnered first-team All-District, second-team All-Region and second-team All-State honors and a State Championship. In her sophomore season, she finished fourth individually at the VHSL Class 3 State Championships, then tied for fifth at the VHSL Girls Golf Open, not to mention being able to play with her favorite golf partner, her sister. This year, she broke the Old Trail Golf Course record shooting seven under in a match against Albemarle, beating the record held by her older sister at six under.
Along with garnering accolades on the course, she has excelled off of it. Kennedy has served as a class officer for the past three years. Leading her grade through Spirit Week and other spirit events. She also holds herself to a high academic rigor, taking various AP and Honors courses. WAHS teacher Sandra McLaughlin, who is an 11th grade class sponsor, lights up when she talks about Kennedy. “Kennedy is an amazing student. She listens, pays attention in class and brings a positive attitude.” She said, “Her ability to do hard work is reflected in her school assignments. She is a great leader in the class and as a class officer for her grade.”
Along with her sister Elsie, she credits her grandparents as main inspirations for her love of golf. She hopes to continue playing through college and hopefully professionally. Kennedy loves to hit the ball far, which she considers at the strongest part of her game. Her favorite professional golfers are Nelly Korda, and Viktor Hovland.
