NEW PALESTINE — Dragons’ senior girls’ golfer Annaliese Fox has a long list of accomplishments highlighting her four-year career at New Palestine High School.
When it comes to the list of all-time great golfers at the school, she’s at the top of that one.
“Nobody had come in and made an impact like she had her freshman year,” former head coach Gregg Greene said.
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Greene was the program’s head coach for 14 years. He passed on the duties to Sarah O’Brien in 2018. She had been an assistant to Greene for two years.
O’Brien’s first year with the New Palestine golfers was Fox’s freshman season.
“It’s exciting to have a player of that caliber,” O’Brien said. “I’ve watched her mature, get better and learn.”
Two of Fox’s marks will never be beaten, only tied. She won both the Hancock County and Hoosier Heritage Conference titles four times.
In her last two county championships, she won in a playoff, beating Mt. Vernon’s Alaina Nugent in 2018 and Greenfield-Central’s Tandess O’Neal this past season. She’ll graduate with a perfect 2-0 record in playoffs.
She’s a three-time sectional champion and three-time state qualifier. Mackenzie Black, who Fox was runner-up to in the 2017 sectional, is the school’s only other multi-time state qualifier.
Fox has finished 13th, as a junior, 15th and 27th in the state finals.
Black was part of the 2014 team that Greene took to the state tournament, a group that was led by 2015 grad Abby Poole.
“Abby and Mackenzie had quite an impact, too, but Annaliese took it to a different level,” Greene said. “Abby was calm and really knew the game. Mackenzie was really driven and Annaliese was the most athletic of the bunch.
“She was able to take her athletic ability and transfer it to golf and exceeded like no one else has.”
Fox’s rounds of 77 at the state tournament, accomplished both during her sophomore and junior seasons are all-time lows for a New Palestine golfer at the state tournament.
This past season, she established two new scoring records, one she already held and another she co-owned.
She shot a nine-hole round of 32 at The Links in New Palestine on Sept. 5 in a dual meet with Lawrence Central. Two days later at the Shelbyville Invitational, held at River’s Edge Golf Course, Fox shot an 18-hole school record round of 68, beating the old mark of 70 that she co-held with Black. She also equaled the nine-hole mark with a 32 on the front nine.
“I’ve matured (over the years),” Fox said. “I have better course management and I have a better attitude on the golf course.
“I’m handling golf how I’m supposed to. I’m practicing more and letting the bad shots go rather than letting it drag for a while.”
The best could be yet to come for Fox.
She plans to go to IUPUI in the fall to play golf and study Criminal Justice. She wants to be a police officer and eventually work with the K-9 Force.
Along with practicing on the course, Fox said she’s been reading some of the works of Annika Sorenstam, considered by many as the greatest female golfer of all-time.
Fox said one of Sorenstam’s books was forwarded to her by coach O’Brien’s sister, Becky Parr.
“It’s interesting how (Sorenstam) progressed and got better by staying positive and not getting upset (after bad shots),” Fox said. “She was able to re-group and stay focused.”
“She said she gives herself 10 seconds to be upset and then moves on.”
Fox said the words of the all-time great helped her in the regional tournament this year. She expected going into the tournament she would have to break 75 to get to her third state tournament. She did. Fox shot 73 and finished fourth to pick up a spot in the finals.
“My biggest goal this year was making it to state again,” Fox said.
It wasn’t the first time Fox had got advice from the pros. While following Michelle McGann at an LPGA event, she picked up some key advice from the pro’s dad, who told her three key things that will help her game — Commitment, Adjust and Patience.
Fox puts the initials CAP in her visor when she plays.
She plans on taking the advice and tips to IUPUI, where another long list could be in the making.
