BLAINE, Minn. — For golfer, Kathryn VanArragon, pressure is a privilege.
"She is the best, I think to come out of Blaine High School," said Blaine girl's golf coach, Maribeth Suter.
It's a privilege Suter said VanArragon handles well.
"She's gotten to a point over her six years where an errant shot doesn't phase her," said Suter. "Or if she's off her mark a little bit, she's like, 'Okay, I can work with that.' That's been a huge adjustment."
An adjustment, maybe, from her first Class AAA state title win in 2018, when she was only 13 years old.
"I think I've really learned a lot from it," said VanArragon. "Just how to really deal with everyone's expectations, my own expectations."
The win also changed the trajectory of her life.
"I had never really felt like I could maybe have a future in golf or play collegiately or anything like that," said VanArragon. "But that was really a turning point for me I think, seventh grade."
But with the possibility of a future on the course, came more pressure.
"I think it was definitely more of a, 'I could do this again,'" said VanArragon.
And she did. In 2022, as a junior, Kathryn won her second state championship.
"I had actually figured out more about the golfing world and more about high school golf, and it meant a lot to me going into it," said VanArragon. "Being able to go into that, knowing the feeling and the history that I had at that tournament was very special."
In her final state tournament appearance last week, Kathryn placed second, two strokes behind the title.
"Her demeanor never changed in terms of, she still played carefree," said Suter. "There were still rounds where there were tears, and that's what I loved about her for her entire career."
Kathryn's golfing career is far from over.
"I really just looked at a few schools and tried to figure out what I wanted and what I was looking for," said VanArragon. "So I ultimately decided that I wanted to stay close to home, so St. Thomas, I mean, the coaches, my teammates, the school, I think it's just the perfect fit for me."
"It'll be fun to just watch her and to see how she changes," said Suter. "Like how do you approach the game now that you're in college?"
Suter hopes the college competition will give VanArragon more edge.
"I don't have girls that compete with her. They love her to death, but I don't have girls, so it will be fun for her to be a part of a team where there are a lot of other good players.".
The same pressure with a new purpose.
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