Rochester to play golf in college

The game of golf is not easy to play. It requires lots of patience, skill, and precision.

There are a select few people who play the game and they make it look easy. One of those individuals would be Marquette native Avery Rochester.

In May, Rochester set a record at the U.P. Division 1 Golf Meet in Houghton. Rochester fired a 69, three under par, in route to winning her second straight medalist honor at the D-1 championship.

Then in July, Rochester continued her winning ways at the Upper Peninsula Ladies Golf Association tournament, winning the championship flight in back-to-back years in dominating fashion.

Now, the 17-year-old Rochester is preparing to move to Missouri, where she has earned a scholarship to play golf at Columbia College for the Cougars, beginning this fall.

“I think my (golf) game is at a really great point right now. I’m looking forward to getting even better at Columbia,” said Rochester. “I’ll be able to play nine months out of the year instead of five, so I hope to improve while I’m down there. It should be a lot of fun.”

“I’m going to play right away, I’m not red-shirting. The coach (John Utley) hasn’t seen me play (in person). When I went down to Columbia to meet him, he had me on the (driving) range, and he watched me hit. Then on the putting green, he watched me putt,” Rochester went on to say.

Rochester plans to major in pre-medicine at Columbia College.