North Fort Myers senior Emily Yi never envisioned competing in and winning big golf tournaments in high school.

She was 9 when her father, James, took her to the driving range for the first time.

“I made good contact,” she said, “but no, I never really thought of anything big when I was younger. I kept playing and noticed I was getting better.”

Yi has improved each of her four years with the Red Knights, and The Daily Breeze Athlete of the Week has now added some big tournament wins to her accomplishments.

Yi carded a medalist round of 40 at last week’s North of the River Tournament, leading the Red Knights to the tourney’s team title. She then fired a 77 Monday to win the LCAC Tournament in a one-hole playoff.

On the first playoff hole, Yi displayed her signature accuracy. She landed her tee shot down the center of the fairway, put her approach on the green and two-putted to victory.

“Emily is extremely consistent in her play,” North coach Al Coffin said. “She’s not real long off the tee, but her short game is excellent. She’s extremely tough around the green.”

Her 77 at the LCAC is four strokes better than her previous best 18-hole score.

Like most top players, hours of practice has been the key to improving each year.

She was shooting in the upper 40s as a sophomore, mid-40s as a junior, and as a senior has shown the ability to post scores in the 30s over nine holes.

In addition to her individual play, Yi has helped lead the Red Knights to an 11-2 record this season.

She plans to continue her career in college.

At the moment, she is considering Florida Southern or nearby Florida Gulf Coast University.



Honorable mentions:



C.J. Cricco, junior, Mariner boys’ golf: Cricco shot a career-best 35 last Thursday to capture medalist honors in the North of the River Tournament.



Bailey Keller, senior, Mariner volleyball: Keller had 11 assists and four service aces in Mariner’s victory over Cape Coral in three games.