Reaching new heights: Jackson golfer Julia Schlitt caps historic junior season

CAPE GIRARDEAU — The touching ending Tuesday at the Dalhousie Golf Course showered joy and untold emotion to Jackson junior Julia Schlitt and all of those who cheered her on. Beneath a lucid blue sky on a sunny afternoon just 12 miles down the road from her high school, the enthusiastic applause that greeted her on the final 18th hole of the 2024 MSHSAA Class 4 Girls Golf Championships made it clear that she had left no doubt.

Schlitt’s main goal entering the two-day tournament was to earn all-state honors and place in the top 15. Little did she know she had the game and the grit to cement her place as one of the top golfers in the state of Missouri. And when head coach Jeff Fahrner draped the silver medal around her neck during the post-tournament awards ceremony, it all felt surreal.

“When I went to state as a freshman, you would’ve never told me ‘you're going to get second in two years,’” Schlitt said. “I just would have never thought that I would have been at the top of the list today.”

Never say never.

After shooting 8-over par on Monday, Schlitt turned the longest day into the most emphatic round of her high school career so far. The 18-hole marathon finish on Day 2 started with her tied for 15th place and ended with a walk down the 18th fairway that saw her ooze with confidence as a top-five finish was within reach.

The final test was a long wedge shot between the bunkers on her third stroke. Battling a strong gust of wind, Schlitt opened her stance, threaded the ball into the air before her, begging it to “sit” when it landed, and watched as it cut to the edge of the green and generously rolled to within a few feet of the hole. From there, she calmly tapped in the birdie putt on the 18th green for an even par on the day.

Jackson junior Julia Schlitt sinks her putt on the 18th hole to secure a second-place finish at the 2024 Class 4 State Girls Golf Championships on Tuesday, Oct. 22.Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

Schlitt never flinched through it all.

“I knew I could do it and just committed to every single shot I hit,” she said. “I really thought through everything and my putter was working really well. So, I just feel like I was just in the right mental state today.”

On a final round that featured few miscontrolled shots and tremendous poise, Schlitt, who finished with a 154 total, coasted to a second-place finish after placing 27th (164 total) as a sophomore and 39th (184 total) as a freshman.

Not bad for someone who has only been golfing for four years.

“I started in seventh grade when I was the manager and remember I went out there and I didn't even have clubs,” Schlitt said. “My brothers (Colin and Nate) played for Jackson in high school. But before that, my uncle, he is a big golfer and he loves golf, got my brothers into it, and then I had to go watch my brothers play when I was in elementary school. And I hated it. I hated watching them play because of how long it took. But then something switched. I used to swim, and once I quit swimming I was like, ‘well, I’ve gotta do something.’ So, I switched to golf and here we are.”

So, how did Schlitt flip a switch and go on such a deep state tournament run? How did a girl who has only been golfing since middle school emerge as one of the top players in the state of Missouri?

Mindset, she says. And self-belief.

“I've really been working on my mental game,” Schlitt said. “I’ve learned not to get in my head. I didn't have the greatest round yesterday, but I definitely left some shots out there. And so, today, I just came in with the mindset that I can do it and I can come out stronger.”

Fahrner, who became the head coach at Jackson in 2022 when Schlitt was a freshman, agrees and says he’s witnessed a ton of strides in her psychological edge since then.

“Her mental game is really strong,” he said. “That's something I think that she's worked on and really come around a lot on this year. Just trying to keep an even keel out there because golf is so different. Every other sport you're playing with raw emotion and you’ve just got to kind of keep as even a keel as you can. She's really, really good at that.”

Jackson state runner-up Julia Schlitt is presented her silver medal by head coach Jeff Fahrner at the Class 4 State Girls Golf Championships on Tuesday, Oct. 22Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

Schlitt seems eager to take her game another step forward and win a state title in her final ride as a Jackson Indian next season, and, with more machine-like performances in 2025, there’s little reason to doubt.

“I’m not taking any time off,” said Schlitt with a smile. “Somebody asked me, ‘when are you gonna take a couple breaks?’ No, I'll be out here tomorrow. So, I don't stop really. There's nothing else for me to do except for school. I have a tournament in two weeks in St. Louis, so I'll be back out there just trying to get better and trying to get those college coaches to contact me.”

After her junior season, Schlitt should not be a hard person to find.