Lauren Bailey watched older siblings Jacob and Sydney compete on the golf course, so the LaCrosse freshman decided to follow in their footsteps.
After Friday's performance at the LaPorte Sectional, the youngest sibling is doing just that. Jacob Bailey qualified four times for the regional during his time at South Central, while Sydney qualified for three regionals and one state finals.
Lauren carded a 102 at Beechwood Golf Course to become the school's first regional qualifier.
"I just wanted to do the same things (as my siblings)," Lauren said. "It's pretty cool to be the first one at the school to do this. I'm really happy to be going to the regional."
In one case, Lauren didn't follow in her siblings' footsteps by attending LaCrosse instead of South Central. Lauren attended Wanatah Middle School, and she had an option for high school.
"I basically grew up with most of the kids who were going to go to LaCrosse," she said. "I just thought it would be a better change for me. I'm having fun."
Lauren picked up the sport when she was 10 years old, and her father and coach, Scott, believes she is wired differently then his other two children.
"Of the three kids, Lauren is the happy-go-lucky one," Scott said. "She can turn the game on and off. The clock is on sometimes for Lauren, and other times she wants to do things with friends."
When it comes to prep competition, Lauren Bailey also dealt with an on-and-off scenario. She competed in just two events at the beginning of the season, spending the rest of the time honing her game.
"It's just not as fun as going out there and playing," she said. "I was very nervous given how many matches I had played during the season."
Even Scott admitted that the regional berth was somewhat of a surprise.
"Her game is still raw ... I truly wasn't expecting it out of her," said Scott, whose daughter had a pair of 88s in recent practice rounds at Beechwood. "I didn't think she played stellar by any means, but she was able to get through it.
"This is going to be a boost for her."
Bailey doesn't expect to qualify for the state finals at Saturday's Lafayette Jeff Regional at the Battle Ground, but she plans to enjoy herself at the event.
"It's all about having fun," she said. "This just makes me feel more confident that I can actually do something. I know I'm doing something right."
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