The Times 2022 Girls Golfer of the Year: Ottawa’s Hannah Duggan a true No. 1 for 11-2 Pirates

Hannah Duggan put up some pretty impressive scores this fall for the Ottawa High School girls golf team.

The Times 2022 Girls Golfer of the Year’s effect on the success of the Pirates team, however, went far beyond the low scores she marked on a consistent basis.

“Overall, everything we could have asked for in a No. 1, she was it,” Ottawa coach Ryan Gunderson said. “Every time out, we knew our No. 1 golfer was going to perform ... and it was a nice problem to have knowing the other three scores were the only ones we had to figure out.

“She helped in practices. We have a lot of new girls every year ... so for her to be a consistent mainstay in our program and help help those new kids out, you saw what it did. Our overall team record was 11-2, and that was mainly because of her, because of how she handled things and what she did every day.

“She was comfortable enough to the point she knew she was going to score well, and so she could help others score well too.”

Duggan was the undisputed No. 1 for Ottawa this season after the graduation of last year’s low scorer and Times All-Area Honor Roll member, Zoe Harris. Duggan, now a senior herself, stepped smoothly into that role, leading her team to the aforementioned 11-2 record in duals with multiple medalist honors while marking a 42.8 nine-hole average.

“I feel like I had a really good season,”she said, “and I really enjoyed it. I think that the best part is that I had so much fun — not just with golf, but with my whole team.

“[The season] definitely met my expectations.”

Duggan – who picked up the game of golf at a young age playing with her dad – credits her short game for the lion’s share of her success. And as her coach cited, her dedication to the team dynamic helped not only the Pirates, but Duggan herself.

“We had a good team this year,” Duggan said. “Everybody no matter what tried their hardest, and I think that was the best part of all of it, that we could have fun together but at the end of the day we all just did our best.”

Consistency, too, was a key part of her game.

“Her whole career overall was very consistent,” Gunderson said. “She started off as a freshman advancing to sectionals, then maybe dipped a little, but playing a lot she got back into the 40s [for a nine-hole average] again as a junior, and as a senior she was just the total package. ...

“Hannah is just a really consistent player. She doesn’t have those really bad mishits, and if she does, she saves it with an amazing shot down the middle of the fairway. If she hits a bad one, she doesn’t hit another bad one, she doesn’t three-putt a lot, she’s on the green in regulation all the time, and she’s really good off the tee, which puts her in a great position more often than not.

“She has a great feel for the game.”

Duggan capped her high school career with a strong showing at the Class 2A Joliet Central Regional, carding a below-her-average 82 over 18 holes to place eighth overall and claim the third of 10 individual advancing slots. Teammate Caroline Cooney shot an 87 to advance to sectionals alongside her.

“I was really excited about that, just to be top 10 at the regional,” Duggan said. “And really, just to be advancing was what I was most excited about.”