Flint, MI — When Lillee-Ann Jacobs started golfing at 6 years old, it was hard to imagine just how far the now-high school senior would come.
“[Lillee was] very shy,” Coach Joe Simpson recalled of Jacobs’ early days with First Tee, a nonprofit that he described as a “life skill and character building education program” centered around golf. “She had to hold her grandpa’s hand to come out on the putting green.”
Now, Jacobs is not only the captain of Powers Catholic High School’s girls varsity golf team, she’s also set to hit the ceremonial first shot of the Ally Challenge, a PGA Tour Champions event, in Grand Blanc, Mich. on Aug. 25, 2023.
“I am very excited,” said Jacobs. “It’s such an honor.”
Jacobs will be hitting the ceremonial shot alongside fellow Powers senior and her First Tee teammate Jackson Levijoki.
She explained that she and Levijoki had been nominated for the honor through First Tee itself, and she was thrilled to be able to represent the nonprofit organization at the challenge.
Coach Simpson said choosing Jacobs for the honor was a “no brainer” for him and other First Tee leaders.
“Things like perseverance and community and keeping your cool when things don’t go your way … all those things that we teach at First Tee … Lillee really embodies all of those,” he said.
Aside from representing First Tee at the Ally Challenge, Jacobs said she’s also honored to represent the organization in other spaces too.
She was selected as one of only 24 young women nationwide to join a leadership conference on behalf of the nonprofit last year, and she’s the only female player on her league’s 17 and under all star team.
“Ever since I started the First Tee program, it’s kind of been me and just all the boys,” Jacobs said.
It’s clearly a point of pride for the 17-year-old — competing with and holding her own against male players — but it’s also something she hopes will inspire other Flint girls to consider taking up golf.
“First Tee taught me the confidence and perseverance to kind of not belittle myself and know that I can beat the boys,” she said. “I have those skills to overcome anything and not be worried about what’s going to happen in the future.”
While Jacobs is not necessarily “worried” about the future, the high school senior is preparing for it.
She told Flint Beat she’d love to play college golf, but she’s also applying to a prestigious caddy scholarship that would see her attend either the University of Michigan or Michigan State University if selected.
For now though, Jacobs is looking forward to joining the ceremony on Friday and showing her friends, family and other Flint kids that you don’t have to be a certain gender or have a certain income to succeed — in golf or in life.
“I’ve never been a ‘country club kid,’ and I’m going to high school tournaments and being able to place top five in almost every tournament,” she said. “Knowing I did all of that without having that, makes this that much greater.”
Jacobs and Levijoki will be opening the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills on Friday, Aug. 25 at 10:45 a.m.
Editor’s Note: Due to a severe storm on Aug. 24, Ally Challenge organizers decided to cancel the Aug. 25 opening ceremony. However, Jacobs and Levijoki were still able to tee-off in the late afternoon for gathered press and family and both received scholarship checks for their participation.