Visitation senior Annie Rothery walked to the practice green at Bear Creek Golf Club in Wentzville, parked her golf bag and reached for her putter.
It was 10 minutes before her tee time at the GISL Conference Tournament when she realized the only putter she has ever used was left on the practice green at Algonquin Golf Club near Kirkwood, 40 miles away.
“We had just ended the coach’s meeting. I turned around, and she’s got a look on her face,” Visitation coach Julie Jones recalled. “I thought either she was sick or someone had died.”
Rothery asked teammates if they had an extra one. No luck.
Jones had a different solution.
“I asked her, ‘Have you ever bellied a wedge?’ If the leading edge of the wedge catches the ball at the equator, it actually puts a pretty good roll on it, and you can putt that way,” Jones said.
While Jones and Rothery walked to the practice green to try out the unique putting method, Rothery called her father Brian, who had just left the Bear Creek parking lot to grab a coffee.
“She said, ‘Dad, I left my putter at Algonquin. Can you go get it?’ I involved my father-in-law who lives in Richmond Heights. He would get the putter, and I’d meet him at the Schnucks in Clayton,” Brian Rothery said.
With a plan in place to retrieve the putter, Annie Rothery walked to the first tee with no putter and minimal stress.
“It was honestly, funny almost. I was trying not to get too upset about it and stay positive because I knew that it was my fault. There was nothing I could do about it except make the most out of the situation,” Annie said.
Using a 56-degree wedge, Rothery three-putted the first two holes and bogeyed both, then made par on No. 3 and No. 4.
“People in my group were looking at me like, ‘What’s going on?’” Annie said. “The first two holes were definitely rough, but holes 3 and 4, I was able to make good two-putts. I was getting kind of used to it.”
She was on the green at No. 5, the farthest point on the course from the parking lot, when a jogging man holding a putter appeared from a distance.
“I was cutting through yards in the neighborhood hoping to get there,” Brian said.
With her trusty club in hand, Annie sank her first puttered putt to make par on No. 5, then birdied No. 6, No. 8 and No. 9 to finish the front nine at 1-under par, despite playing without a putter for the first hour.
“It was neat to see that she hadn’t given up so much ground in those first five holes that when her dad did come back with her putter, she made a great par, made three birdies and it was just on,” Jones said.
Rothery finished the round with a 3-under, 69, and earned medalist honors at the GISL Conference Championships.
“It was a day to remember for sure. We were all so proud of her for not mentally unraveling in light of it all,” Brian Rothery said.
Mental toughness is Annie’s “superpower” according to Jones.
“She’s always had it, but I think golf helped her realize it, and at this point, she could teach a masterclass on toughness, composure and leadership,” Jones said.
Visitation has won three state titles in the previous five seasons. The Vivettes will send four seniors, Rothery, Caroline Miller, Mia Rooney and Sole Oyenard, along with junior Emilia Brown to lead the contingent seeking a sixth consecutive state trophy when the MSHSAA Class 4 state championships take place October 19-20 at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, MO.
“All of us have been at Viz since middle school. We all played on the CYC golf team, so we’ve been playing golf together for six years. It’s crazy to see how far everyone’s come,” Annie said.
As a freshman, Rothery played two outstanding rounds at the 2023 state tournament despite being sick. Her score counted towards the team total that helped Visitation win the Class 4 state title by five strokes. At the team banquet, Rothery won the “Red Panda Award,” given to the player who demonstrates an exemplary ability to fight through adversity.
As a sophomore, Rothery placed 9th overall to help the Vivettes win back-to-back state titles. She placed 15th last season when Visitation took home a fourth-place trophy.
Her mental toughness has continued to develop as a senior. During the Class 4 District 1 tournament on Oct. 7, Rothery’s ball came to rest in a patch of black muck behind the 14th green. She asked rules officials for relief but was told she could only move it backwards where her swing would be influenced by tall weeds.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to take relief then,’” she said.
It took three chips to get her ball onto the green, resulting in a double bogey. She responded by pummeling her drive down the 15th fairway and playing the final four holes at 1-under par.
“My mental game is something I’ve built up through all these years of playing competitive golf. I’ve had so many rounds where I start off bad and come back and have an amazing day. I know that one bad hole is not going to determine my round,” Annie said.
Rothery has decided not to play golf at the collegiate level and is preparing for her final state tournament with mixed emotions.
“I get sad every time I think about it because I love high school golf so much and I love my team. The team aspect is so much fun,” she said.
After the state tournament, Rothery will compete in a Kansas vs. Missouri, Ryder Cup-style event in what will be her final school competition.
“That will be the goodbye to high school golf, but I don’t want to stop playing even though I’m not playing in college,” Annie said.
Rothery, who will pursue a career in nursing, will be remembered for her perseverance and her uncanny ability to make the best of any circumstance. She will also be remembered for an amazing legacy she and her Viz golf teammates are leaving behind.
“Every class is special and different, but these girls have shown up for Viz golf and shown up for their teammates in ways that I didn’t recognize was possible,” Jones said. “They have helped the underclassmen figure things out and it’s been neat to see. They are a special group of girls.”
For a photo gallery from the Class 4 District 1 tournament, click on the link below:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Golf/Girls-Golf-2026/Class-4-District-1-Tournament-