Binscarth’s Peake rises to the occasion

Clara Peake picked a great time to have the best round of her life.

The Binscarth golfer added to her college trophy case on Tuesday after rallying from three shots down to capture the Spring Region Preview (NCAA Division II) at Shangri-La Country Club in Monkey Island, Okla.

Peake, who attends Northwest Missouri State, found her A-game and produced a three-under 69 in the final round.

“Honestly, that was the best tournament I’ve ever played, score-wise,” said Peake, who won the 2021 Manitoba junior women’s championship. “I’ve never shot in the 60s in a tournament before. I think I’ve been under par once in another tournament. But it was kind of crazy, honestly.”

Peake was tied for the lead with Central Oklahoma’s Layne Ailshe after firing a two-under 70 in the first round. She remained firmly in the mix after an up-and-down even-par 72 on Day 2, but started the final round in solo third, three shots back of Ailshe.

The fourth-year student-athlete went on to pour in seven birdies, including five on the front nine, in a terrific final round to earn a three-stroke (211) victory.

“Just my day,” said Peake. “All my putts were going in. That course was super important to hit good tee shots, and my driver was doing well. I don’t even know, it just all came together at the same time.”

The victory moved Peake up to No. 12 in the central region rankings and earned her Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Women’s Golfer of the Week honours.

Peake had been working on some things with her swing before the tournament. Her game was nowhere close to where she wanted it, and she was struggling to produce consistent results.

She stayed positive, however, understanding that she plays a fickle sport that can give as much as it takes.

“I had a super slow start to the spring season. I was really struggling when I came back from winter. I had a couple of tournaments already, and they didn’t go too great,” she said. “I just haven’t been hitting the ball very well. I had two weeks off, and kind of just tried to get that dialled in and get my short-game better, and then it all kind of just clicked on the range before the first day.”

Although no stranger to college golf, Peake is in her first year at Northwest Missouri State. She spent two years at Redlands Community College (Oklahoma), where she earned a pair of victories in her sophomore season, then transferred to North Alabama, an NCAA Division I program, last season.

Her time at North Alabama didn’t garner much playing time, though, so Peake entered the transfer portal after last season. She landed with Lathan Croy’s program in Maryville, Mo., where she has teed it up in nearly every tournament since the fall.

“I love it here. The coach is great, and I love the school and I love my teammates,” Peake said. “It’s been a really good switch for me.”

Peake will tee it up again at the MIAA Championships at Mules National in Warrensburg, Mo., from April 20-22. Peake and the Bearcats will need a strong performance to qualify for next month’s Central Regional championship.

“This was the first time I’ve won a tournament under par. So now that I have done that, I feel like it’s gonna be easier to be in that position again,” she said. “I’m just gonna keep kind of doing what I’m doing in practice, just get things more dialled in, and then just go do what I can there.”

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