Michigan golfer Hailey Borja getting set for Augusta National Women’s Amateur
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (BVM) – Hailey Borja continues to reach new heights every time she’s on the course. It’s nothing new for the Michigan golfer, but she will have a new experience this spring.
Last month, Borja found out she had been invited to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, joining an international field of women’s amateur golfers who will compete in a 54-hole, stroke-play tournament.
AMAZING 🗞 NEWS 🗞 TODAY!
〽️⛳️ Hailey Borja has received an invitation to the Augusta National Women's Amateur!! Yes, you are reading that right! So proud!
Now to get 🎟 tickets? 🤔
Info | https://t.co/Xnre7RQhRx#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/QdsWPshoSd
— Michigan Women's Golf (@UMichWGolf) January 13, 2022
The championship will begin at Champions Retreat Golf Club, but after 36 holes, a cut will take place with the top 30 players having the opportunity to tee it up at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club.
The winner becomes exempt for the event the next five years, and also earns invitations to a couple of major championships including the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2022 Women’s British Open.
It’s an incredible opportunity for Borja among many of the world’s top amateurs, and she had no inkling she would be selected to compete.
“I honestly had no idea,” Borja said. “I was just super in shock and super happy, I couldn’t stop smiling. Once I opened it, I was just like, ‘Wow.’ It was basically just a reality check that I had worked really hard and look how far I have come.”
The event will be held from March 30 to April 2, and Borja continues to fine-tune her game just under two months out from the tournament. It is one thing to be selected for the event, but having the chance to play at Augusta National or even compete to earn an exemption into a couple of majors is highly motivating.
“Right now, I’m really focusing on my putting,” Borja noted. “If I made the cut, I would just be so excited just because Augusta National is basically sacred ground. The best of the best have played there. Women have not been playing there as long as men have and they just started having women’s tournaments there. I think it’s all about making history and just being part of that is a really great opportunity and just so exciting.”
Borja hopes to indeed make it to that final round at Augusta in this annual event that has been held since 2019, and she wants to take momentum away from the tournament to apply to her spring season of golf at Michigan. Based on what she has accomplished in Ann Arbor and throughout her golf career already, any more momentum or confidence could take her game to elite levels.
Growing up in Lake Forest, California, Borja had a standout career at Trabuco Hills High School, and also made her name known on the amateur stage through her play in American Junior Golf Association events.
Despite no real family background in the game, Borja was inspired to take up golf after seeing her dad watch it on TV. While her parents thought it might just be another sport she was going to try, Borja ended up loving the links.
Being Hispanic, Borja also grew up idolizing former LPGA golfer, Lorena Ochoa. From then on, it has been her dream to also compete on that stage.
“You don’t really see many Hispanic players on the tour,” Borja explained. “So seeing her was a bit of an inspiration for me and showed me that I’m able to compete in the LPGA as well, and if I really work hard, I’ll achieve my dream.”
As she rose the ranks through her junior career, Borja knew she wanted to play college golf. That goal became more and more attainable as the golfer was a four-time league MVP in high school.
Being from California, most probably expected Borja to stay out on the west coast. She was looking at schools out west such as Oregon, Colorado and Arizona State. However, Michigan came into the picture late in the process
“Michigan kind of came out of nowhere,” Borja said. “I actually had never heard of Michigan. They were looking into me and they started coming to more tournaments. They asked me to come for an unofficial visit. I came and immediately when I stepped on campus, I just fell in love with the school.”
Great academics, athletics and people ultimately sold Borja on the Wolverines. However, in what would likely be questioned by many Michigan natives, Borja also was eager to trade in the sunny skies of California and embrace the cold of the “Great Lakes State.”
“I wanted a different environment,” she said. “I’m not afraid of the cold or anything. I actually kind of wanted to experience the cold. I just really love it here. It’s a good balance between academics and athletics and there are some really good people.”
So far, it is clear that Borja made the right choice, as her time at Michigan could not be going much better. Right off the bat in her first-ever collegiate tournament, the Michigan golfer made history with the lowest freshman debut in program history, tying for fourth at the Glass City Invitational.
Borja went on to start in all seven events for the Wolverines that season, becoming the first Michigan freshman to be named as a second team All-Big Ten performer.
“I really looked forward to competing in college,” Borja said. “That was mostly just because I had worked so hard to get to this level. I’m all about taking all of the opportunities I’m given and just giving it my all. That first tournament … I wasn’t nervous or anything at all, I was just excited to be able to compete.”
After her dazzling freshman season, Borja came in with higher expectations during her sophomore campaign. Although her fall season was canceled, Borja started in eight events in the spring, posting three top-10 finishes while averaging 73.30 strokes per round on the year. She helped the Wolverines to a runner-up finish in the Big Ten and led them to place 20th at the NCAA Finals.
However, it was Borja’s individual performance at the NCAA Finals that made the headlines, as she shot a career-low 68 in the fourth round of the event, tying for fifth overall. She became the first Wolverine golfer in program history to qualify for the final round of stroke play at the championship.
“That year was really special to me,” Borja said. “Leading up to nationals, I had worked so hard. I knew that I could finish low and finish high on the leaderboard. I just had so much fun with it … NCAAs was an experience that I will definitely not forget.”
As Borja gets set for her upcoming spring season, she will look to replicate her success from last year. Recently, the junior has continued putting in work on the course but also in the gym to get stronger and gain a few yards on her shot. Her biggest goal for her junior year is to finally break through for a win on the college stage.
Between Michigan and Augusta, the outlook for Borja’s spring season is bright. However, she will also be active this summer, and will look to again compete in the United States Golf Association (USGA) Women’s Amateur Championship.
At just 20 years old, Borja has already had the opportunity to compete in eight USGA events, including three consecutive Women’s Amateur Championships. She has made it to the match play portion of the event each year, and last summer, she made it all the way to the final 16.
⏩ HOW SWEET IT IS! 🍫
Hailey Borja moves to @USGA Amateur Sweet 16 with 3&2 win vs Marissa Wenzler!
Hailey jumped to 3⬆️ lead after 4, but Marissa battled over next 7 drawing AS on 11; Hailey closed winning 3-of-5 to get W
Match Play | https://t.co/kWKcdI6ofc#GoBlue 〽️⛳️ pic.twitter.com/dt5k9aEXMN
— Michigan Women's Golf (@UMichWGolf) August 5, 2021
Now, she’ll hope to make it even further and continue building a name for herself on the national stage.
“I’ve competed in a couple of USGAs,” Borja said. “Super fun tournaments, I’ve always really enjoyed them. I’m really looking forward to the summer. It’s supposed to be on the west coast this year … I have some good friends going with me and my family. I’m really excited.”
Borja has always had plenty of talent, and her future couldn’t be much brighter. However, similar to the stories of many athletes, it has not always been sunshine and roses for her. Since she was young, Borja has suffered from anxiety. But around 11 years old, one of her cousins introduced her to crocheting. Making anything from scarves, shirts, headcovers and stuffed animals, Borja has found a true passion off the course that has helped her cope with her anxiety.
Last summer, Borja used her platform to make an Instagram post detailing how she relieves stress and anxiety through crocheting. She has also begun selling some of the crocheted items she is creating.
“I’ve always had a little bit of anxiety,” Borja explained. “I think when Covid hit, I just love being outdoors so being cooped up in my room caused me a little more anxiety. To cope with it, I had crocheted a lot. It’s just kind of a thing that passed time and it’s all about basically being able to control what I’m doing in the moment.”
Working through her anxiety and getting past any other obstacles thrown at her has made Borja successful so far, but her potential remains through the roof. Whether it is the spring at Augusta National, this summer at the USGA Women’s Amateur, the rest of her time at Michigan, or a potential LPGA career, Borja knows staying true to herself and focusing on the key aspects of the sport will lead her to even further success.
“It’s all about working hard and being patient with it,” Borja concluded. “Sometimes it can be frustrating on the golf course, but I think being patient is really important. And just having the confidence in yourself is going to get you through a tournament and help you make the shot you need to make. It’s about patience and confidence and I think that’s what’s going to get me there.”
