- November 25, 2024
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Mainland senior Claire Albrecht comes from a golfing family.
Her father played on the golf team at James Madison University. Her mother played on the team at Wichita State and played professionally on the Futures Tour. And her older sister, Emma, is currently a junior on Notre Dame’s women’s golf team.
And after signing her national letter of intent on Wednesday, Nov. 8, Claire Albrecht is following in her sister’s footsteps and will be teeing it up for the Fighting Irish next fall.
“That was always my goal,” Albrecht said of playing collegiately. “I don’t know if I want to play professionally or not, but going to college was always my goal.”
Albrecht committed to Notre Dame following an official visit after her sophomore year. But she knew where she wanted to play college golf long before then. She first set foot on Notre Dame’s campus in South Bend, Indiana, when her sister committed to the school: It was love at first sight.
“As soon as I saw the campus, I was in love,” she said. “I’ve wanted to go to Notre Dame for such a long time.”
There’s much Albrecht likes about the school: academics, school traditions, the established golf program. But an opportunity to play on the same team as her sister was one of the biggest attractions.
“That definitely made me want to go there just because of her experience and how much she’s loved it,” Albrecht said. “It’s just going to be so much fun to play on a team with her. That’s something we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives.”
Although Albrecht practically grew up on the golf course, she started taking the game seriously when she was 8 years old. Every day, Albrecht makes the drive after school to Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach. She works on her game until the sun goes down. On the weekends, she’s competing in tournaments. She’s a regular on the Florida Junior Tour and American Junior Golf Association circuits. Last November, Albrecht competed in the AJGA’s Polo Invitational at PGA National, a tournament reserved for only the top junior golfers in the country.
“I know that all that work wasn’t for nothing now,” she said. “And to finally make it official, it’s amazing. You feel accomplished. I set my goal, and I did it.”
