36 | SPORTS
A SURE BET Hot summer of golf carrying over to the fall season for Loyola’s Kane Loyola Academy’s Isabelle Kane swings away during earlier action. She was a top five finisher at last year’s IHSA state meet.
photography by joel lerner
■ by bill mclean
sports@northshoreweekend.com Midway through her nine-hole round in a recent dual with Glenbrook South, Loyola Academy senior golfer Isabelle Kane looked up at the gray sky, cracking a confident smile. Her coach, Jim Jackimiec, sat nearby in a cart at the Glenview Park District Golf Club. “It’s coming,” Kane said, referring to rain. Jackimiec dismissed the prediction, convinced it would stay dry for another hour. The two had made a friendly $1 weather bet at the practice green before the dual. By the time Kane drained her final putt on Aug. 28, it was sunny and practically cloudless. The Rambler — a program-best fourth at last fall’s rain-shortened Class AA state tournament in Decatur — had officially become one buck lighter. But the Winnetka resident had also emerged as a money player for her team again, taking medalist honors with a 1-over-par 37 in Loyola’s 155-176 defeat of Glenbrook South. “She’s the most complete player we’ve ever had,” said Jackimiec, the program’s coach since its inception in 1996. “What sets her apart is how fine-tuned her game is, in addition to her talent and competitiveness. Isabelle loves the competition and loves the game. Golf is her passion, it’s what she does, and she’s very good at it.” Kane had a summer to remember on local and national golf tracks, qualifying for both the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship and U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
She reached match play after two rounds at the former but not at the latter. In late July, Kane fell 5 and 4 to Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., at the Junior Girls’ event at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind. Morales is ranked No. 2 in the American Junior Golf Association’s Polo rankings. Kane arrived in South Carolina in early August for the U.S. Women’s Amateur at the County Club of Charleston. “That was so cool, being around so many great players [at the U.S. Women’s Amateur],” the 5-foot Kane recalled. “It was great experience.” Kane shot a medalist round of 76 at the Rockford Boylan Invite on Aug. 21, highlighting the Ramblers’ first-place finish after shooting a 72 the day before in a season-opening dual loss to highly regarded Prospect High School. Her length off the tee is impressive, as is her steady short game. Jackimiec got to watch her play a full round at state last fall because Kane was the only Rambler to qualify. “Isabelle made her round [at Red Tail Run Golf Course] look so simple,” he said. “Her drives — she was outdriving 6-foot girls. And the few mistakes she made were little ones. “What I also really like about her game is her ability to find a way out of trouble. Isabelle bears down when she’s in trouble.” A tree attracted one of Kane’s shots in the dual with Glenbrook South last month. Trouble. But she calmly sized up the challenge and essentially shrugged. “She saved par on that hole,” Loyola sophomore teammate Blake Yaccino said. “Isabelle has the ability to stay cool and control her emotions at all times. And she’s always
in a good mood, always fun and funny. She’s a good teammate, too, always willing to help me with my game, with anyone’s game.” An only child, Kane first held a golf club at the age of 3. It felt right, and her sharp eye-hand coordination made the Kane-golf match a successful one from the get-go. She helped Ramblers teams reach the state meet her freshman and sophomore years, with each club finishing fifth. Kane tied for 23rd place as a freshman and tied for 15th place as a sophomore. “My dad [Bernie, also her caddy],” she said, “has been an inspiration to me. He leads by example, and when we’re at the dinner table after a round of golf we go through it, holeby-hole. My mom [Jennifer] also gives input at the table. “Golf,” she added, “has taught me a lot about patience. You can’t get too worked up out there.” A smiling Kane, also an outstanding student, politely declined to name the colleges she’s interested in attending next year. But it’s no secret her golf game is college-ready. Kane needed only two shots — they looked super smooth, super effortless — to reach a pair of par-5 greens against Glenbrook South. Par for the course afterward was her modesty. “Isabelle doesn’t talk about her big accomplishments in golf,” Jackimiec said. “She blends in. She’s pleasant.” She’s also a good bet to return to the far northern region of the leaderboard at state. Notable: Scores from senior Taylor Gentzkow (38), Yaccino (40) and sophomore Nicole Wetoska (40) also counted for Loyola in its win over Glenbrook South on Aug. 28. ■